Antibiotic Residues in Foods of Animal Origin in Cameroon: Prevalence, Consumers' Risk Perceptions, and attitudes.

The use of antibiotics in food animals and the nonobservance of the withdrawal period might result in the accumulation and persistence of residues in foods. The contamination of foods by antibiotic residues might induce health risks including allergy, gastrointestinal dysbiosis, antimicrobial resistance, and cancer to consumers. Therefore, this study was initiated to investigate the presence of antibiotic residues in raw eggs, raw milk, and beef collected at the wholesale and retail points in the three major cities of Cameroon and consumers' perceptions of the risk of antibiotic residues in foods. Qualitative antibiotic residue kits (PremiTest® and Delvotest®) were used to screen 407 samples of foods collected in markets of three towns (Ngaoundéré, Yaoundé, and Douala) in Cameroon. A structured questionnaire was used to evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of 1462 consumers toward microbial drug residues in foods of animal origin. Prevalence of residues of 70.55%, 17.39%, and 69.63% for beef, eggs, and milk, respectively, was observed. More than 1/3 of the respondents believed that the consumption of contaminated foods with antibiotic residues is a risk to their health and thought that allergies and intoxication they often experience are related to the consumption of contaminated foods. Most of them showed their willingness to pay more to acquire quality foods, free from antibiotic residues.

Economic analysis of smallholder dairy cattle enterprises in Senegal.

Smallholder dairy production in Senegal is important to both livelihoods and food and nutrition security. Here, we examine the economic performance of smallholder dairy cattle enterprises in Senegal, using data from longitudinal monitoring of 113 households. The mean (and standard deviation) of the net returns (NR) per cow per annum (pcpa) was 21.7 (202.9) USD, whilst the NR per household herd per annum (phpa) was 106.1 (1740.3) USD. Only about half (52.2%) of the dairy cattle enterprise had a positive NR. The most significant income components were milk sale followed by animal sale, whilst the most significant cost components were animal feed followed by animal purchase. When households were grouped by ranking on NRpcpa, an interesting trend was observed: whilst the mean NRpcpa showed a fairly linear increase from the lowest to highest NR groups, income and cost did not. Income and costs were both higher for the lowest and highest NR groups, in comparison to the intermediate NR groups. The mean NRs of households grouped by the main breed type they kept were not significantly different from each other, due to large variances within the breed groups. However, the mean total income and costs were significantly higher for households mainly keeping improved dairy breeds (Bos taurus or Zebu × Bos taurus crosses) in comparison to those keeping indigenous Zebu or Zebu by Guzerat crosses. This study highlights the highly variable (and often low) profitability of smallholder dairy cattle enterprise in Senegal. Further actions to address this are strongly recommended.

Antimicrobial use and practices by animal health professionals in 20 sub-Saharan African countries.

The use of antimicrobial (AM) in animal production is an important contributor to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) worldwide. Animal health professionals should play a key role in ensuring judicious use of AM. However, they are subjected to influence from clinical and non-clinical factors. The present study evaluates the perceptions and concerns of animal health practitioners regarding antimicrobial use (AMU) and prescription practices. A cross-sectional online questionnaire survey was conducted among animal health practitioners, predominantly veterinary doctors (88 %) in 20 African countries. Results showed that the most prescribed and administered AM were tetracycline (66 %) followed by ß-lactams (32 %) and macrolides (25 %). Most respondents were very confident in deciding on the right dose of AM (77 %) and treatment plans (76 %) as compared to choosing the correct AM (52 %) and making an accurate diagnosis (46 %). Self-reported confidence in the implementation of antimicrobial stewardship was significantly influenced by the respondents' work environment, gender and access to information on AM. Lack of diagnostic facilities and susceptibility tests were major hindrances to adequate prescriptions and use of AM. Perceived drivers of AMR identified were excessive prescription by animal health professionals and the use of AM without proper diagnosis. Almost two thirds (62 %) of the respondents had sufficient information on AM when needed while the main source of information was professional training and drug labels. Thus, reinforcement of regional and country-level guidelines and tailored continuing education programs for veterinarians as well as the development of field-friendly disease diagnosis and management tools are essential to considerably improve AMU.

Cattle farmer awareness and behavior regarding prevention of zoonotic disease transmission in Senegal.

Livestock farmers are known to be at high risk of exposure to zoonosis. A convenience survey to assess Senegalese traditional cattle farmers' knowledge and attitudes regarding zoonotic diseases with reference to bovine brucellosis was conducted. A total of 222 cattle farmers were interviewed. Just over a quarter (30.1%) of the study participants knew or had heard of zoonotic diseases, whereas 6.8% knew at least one mode of transmission. Rabies was the most named zoonotic disease by farmers who knew zoonosis. Meanwhile, no farmer had heard of bovine brucellosis. Identification of zoonotic disease varied significantly by farmer's main activity. All farmers reported that they drink milk produced on their cattle farms, and 95.0% drank fresh milk without prior heat treatment. A majority of farmers (70.3%) regularly assist animals during parturition and abortion without protective gloves. Farmers were less likely to assist animals if they had attended formal education. This study reports low knowledge of zoonotic infections and low compliance to control practices. Investigations on possible zoonotic infections, tailored zoonotic disease control programs including disease awareness creation and improved farm management are strongly recommended.

Calf management practices, challenges and opportunities in traditional cattle production systems in the Peanut Basin of Senegal.

Calf management in traditional cattle herds in many parts of the tropics receive less attention as compared to immediate income-generating cows or bulls. Information on long-term implications of poorly reared young stock is limited. A study to assess practices, challenges and opportunities during rearing of less than 12-month-old calves in traditional cattle herds in the Peanut Basin of Senegal was carried out. Data were collected on 207 farms through farm visits and completion of a questionnaire. Categorical principal component analysis followed by two-step cluster analysis identified two cattle production systems: livestock based (LB: 47.83 %) and livestock-crop based (LCB, 52.17 %). On average, 2.81 ± 0.15 calves were reared per farm. Calves were weaned at the age of 12.27 ± 0.32 months. A majority of the calves were of indigenous breeds (71.37 %) and were meant to serve as replacement stock (74.23 %). The tropical livestock unit for cattle owned was significantly lower in LB compared to LCB farms (12.71 vs. 18.85). Significantly higher number of farmers owned non-indigenous calves, had clean calf rearing area and reported feed availability in LB farms as compared to LCB farms. A majority of farmers (98.50 %) perceived calf morbidity and mortality as a major challenge in calf rearing. Meanwhile, labour was readily available to assist with calf rearing in 88.24 % of farms in both systems. Capacity building on improve husbandry practices could enhance calf survival and productivity in surveyed farms. Studies to better identify health and feeding constraints of calves will be necessary to define intervention targets.

Risk, knowledge and preventive measures of smallholder dairy farmers in northern Malawi with regard to zoonotic brucellosis and bovine tuberculosis.

Milk production using local cattle breed-types is an age-old practice in Malawi. Although dairy farming is becoming more common as a result of the increasing population and demand for milk and milk products, there is limited knowledge of the farmers' awareness of zoonotic disease risks, their preventative practices and the disease burden in animals. This study determined dairy farmers' general knowledge of zoonoses, assessed their risks for infection with zoonotic bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and brucellosis, and evaluated farm practices to prevent disease transmission. A questionnaire was drawn up and administered by the authors. It was used to collect information about the knowledge and preventive practices of 140 out of 684 registered dairy farmers at Mzuzu Agricultural Development Division, northern Malawi. During a second visit to 60 out of the 140 farms, a total of 156 and 95 cattle were tested for brucellosis and tuberculosis, respectively. Most farmers (77.1%) knew or had heard of zoonotic diseases, whilst 75.0% correctly named at least one zoonotic disease. More survey participants named tuberculosis as a zoonotic disease compared to brucellosis (74.3% versus 2.9%). The most commonly named means of transmission were milk (67.0%) and meat (56.0%). Almost all survey participants (96.4%) practised at least one farm activity that could lead to potential transmission of brucellosis or bTB, including sale (67.0%) and consumption (34.0%) of unpasteurised milk. Antibodies against brucellosis were found in 12 cattle (7.7%), whilst one animal (1.1%) reacted to the tuberculin skin test. General knowledge about possible transmission of diseases between humans and animals was high, although most farmers practised risk behaviours that could potentially expose the public to milk-borne zoonotic diseases such as brucellosis and bTB. Furthermore, some animals had positive results for brucellosis and tuberculosis tests. Therefore, improvement of zoonotic disease prevention programmes, as well as further investigation into the prevalence and risk factors for zoonoses, is recommended.

Smallholder dairy production in Northern Malawi: production practices and constraints.

Milk production in Malawi is still unsatisfactory despite efforts by different stakeholders to boost the dairy sector. To investigate the roots of the problem, a survey on the current production practices and constraints on smallholder dairy farming was conducted in the Northern Region of the country. A total of 210 farmers were interviewed. The results revealed that farmers had small herd sizes in the region with an average of 2.2 ± 0.6 cattle per farmer. Average herd size was larger in male-managed farms than in female-managed farms (2.6 ± 2.8 vs. 1.8 ± 1.3), farmers with more than 5 years of dairy farming experience had larger herds than those with less experience (2.6 ± 2.8 vs. 1.9 ± 1. 2) and farmers who grazed their animals tended to have larger herds than those that stall-fed their animals (4.4 ± 5.1 vs. 1.9 ± 1.3). Average milk production was 8.2 ± 6.5 l per cow per day. Higher average daily milk production was observed in farmers with above primary school education (10.3 ± 8.3 vs. 7.7 ± 5.6), those with dairy farming as main activity (9.3 ± 6.6 vs. 6. 5 ± 6.1) and farmers with more than 2 years of experience in dairy farming (9.3 ± 6.3 vs. 6.1 ± 6.4). Unreliable supply of improved animal genetics, poor animal health, feed shortage and poor prices for milk were considered to be the most important constraints to smallholder dairy farming in descending order.