Assessing farm biosecurity and farmers' knowledge and practices concerning antibiotics and antibiotic resistance in poultry and pig farms in Southern Togo

Background and Aim:

Several factors contribute to the unusual incidence of antibiotic resistance, which is now a primary public health concern. However, failure in managing preventive and therapeutic antibiotic use on farms is one of the most crucial factors. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the biosecurity of farms, farmers’ competence, and practices related to antibiotics and their resistance in poultry and pig rearing in Togo.

Materials and Methods:

Through a cross-sectional survey, 121 commercial poultry farmers and 97 commercial pig farmers were questioned to evaluate the biosecurity of farms and farmers’ competence and practices related to antibiotics and antibiotic resistance. Descriptive analyses, including the evaluation of proportions, were carried out. In addition, results from qualitative factors were evaluated in a defined grid and totaled up to assess cleanliness measures, awareness, and behavior regarding antibiotics and their resistance.

Results:

The results demonstrated that most farmers working on poultry farms had a university education, while most working on pig farms had secondary education. Most poultry (69%) and pig (44%) farms were of small sizes (<1000 animals in poultry and <10 animals in pig farming). The footbaths were used in just 51% of poultry farms and 4% of pig farms, respectively, with 37% and 82% of poultry and pig farms having inadequate levels of hygiene. In poultry farms, respiratory issues and periodic decline in egg-laying were the main problems. Simultaneously, skin disorders (scabies) and plagues (African swine fever) were the primary health constraints in pig farming. Tetracycline is the most commonly used antibiotic by farmers. However, in poultry and pig farms, 21% and 67% of farmers were unaware of antibiotics. In addition, 39% and 57% were unaware of antibiotic resistance. Poultry and pig farmers’ competence were substantially linked to their education level. Poultry farmers demonstrated better practices, including procuring antibiotics based on veterinary prescriptions (63%) and they knew where antibiotics should be bought (90%). Nevertheless, 43% of farmers asserted unpleasant activities – no application for laboratory testing (93%) and use of antibiotics for prevention (82%). In pig farming, most farmers (69%) reported inadequate incidents of the use of antibiotics.

Conclusion:

This study identified a crucial non-compliance with biosecurity measures and good practices toward antibiotic use on many farms. Therefore, training of farmers is mandatory for safe livestock products.

Genetic diversity of indigenous guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) using microsatellite markers in northern Togo

Indigenous guinea fowl is an important animal resource for improving rural household income. In order to provide molecular data for a sustainable management of this poultry resource, an assessment of the genetic diversity and phylogenic relationships was undertaken on seven guinea fowl phenotypes from two agroecological zones (Dry Savannah and Atakora) of Togo. Genotyping was carried out using 18 microsatellite markers on 94 individuals from Dry Savannah (59) and Atakora (35) zones. The results obtained showed a high genetic diversity, with six as an average alleles per locus and an observed heterozygosity of 0.512. However, the F_IS values varied from 0.047 (Lavender) to 0.257 (Albino), reflecting a deficit of heterozygotes, which suggests low to moderate inbreeding levels. The genetic distances between phenotypes are low, ranging from 0.0068 (Bonaparte-Pearl grey) to 0.1559 (Lavender-Albino), unlike the strong genetic identities that reflect a strong genetic similarity between the seven phenotypes of indigenous guinea fowl studied. These results indicate the existence of a single indigenous guinea fowl population, derived from three probable parental populations, with a high within population genetic diversity (phenotypic or agroecological zone). These results could be of use to conservation and improvement programs aiming at the maintenance and sustainable exploitation of this important socio-cultural and economic resource in Togo.