Abstract:
The primary goal of this research was to assess the situation analysis and knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) of poultry practitioner veterinarians (PPV) and broiler poultry farmers (BPF) regarding antimicrobial use (AMU) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Nepal. The study area covered approximately 88.1% of Nepal's poultry population. A total of 327 PPV from 56 districts and 500 BPF from 40 districts of seven provinces participated. AMU situation and demographic information were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis to determine associations between variables. Most PPV were male (85.0%) with a mean age of 31.9±7.8 years. Half of the PPV participated from Bagmati province (49.2%), almost all of them (99.4%) knew about AMR and stated that the lack of control in the sale of antibiotics contributes to AMR (93.0%). Among the 500 farmers, 81.0% were male. The majority of the farmers (57.8%) had small farms (<1,500 heads), 59.6% of the farmers had 0-4 years of experience working in poultry farms, and 50.8% had a high school education. The 27 different types of antimicrobials from 13 different antimicrobial classes were used in poultry farms. The most commonly used antimicrobials on the farm were doxycycline (23.5%), neomycin (17.1%), and colistin sulfate (9.6%). Most farmers consulted veterinarians (53.2%) and drug sellers (21.6%) before treating their poultry. Despite limited knowledge (62.6%) and practice (55.5%), the BPF had a favorable attitude toward AMU and AMR (91.6%). The risk factors associated with the farmers' attitudes toward AMU and AMR were the 31-40 years age group compared with other age groups (OR=4.2, p=0.03), and the farmer who used antimicrobials for prevention had a higher attitude score than those who used for other purposes (OR=5.9, p=0.02). The farmers who consulted with a veterinarian when their poultry was sick (OR=21.0, p<0.001) had a positive association with AMU practices. Findings of this study indicate that proper regulation mechanisms in veterinary drugs, an extension of veterinary services, training, and awareness related to AMU and AMR for PPV and BPF are needed to mitigate the AMR problem in poultry production.
