Abstract

A survey was conducted from March 2011 to July 2011 on antibiotic usage pattern in selected poultry farms in Ogun State. Using a well-structured questionnaire, a total of 58 poultry farms were randomly surveyed from the four geo-political zones of Ogun State. All the 58 (100%) poultry farms used one or more antibiotics. Antibiotics were commonly administered either for therapy (36.2%), prophylaxis (29.3%), or both (32.8%) and to lesser extent for growth promotion (6.9%). While NeocerylR (a commercially prepared broad spectrum antibiotics consisting of neomycin, erythromycin, oxytetracycline, streptomycin and colistin), Enrofloxacin and Furazolidone were the commonest antibiotics used in the study area. Fluoroquinolones were the class of antibiotics commonly used. Thirty-three different patterns of antibiotic usage were observed among the poultry farms, 70.7% multi-drug usage practices (MDUP) was also observed among the poultry farms. In this study, 50% of poultry farmers have their antibiotics prescribed by veterinary doctors while 91.4% acquired antibiotics from veterinary stores. This study has provided information on commonly used antibiotics and reasons for their use in the study location. It is anticipated that the findings of this survey will contribute to the development of strategies for prudent use of antibiotics in poultry farms.

Key words: Antibiotics, Antibiotic usage pattern, Ogun State, Poultry farms, Survey