Health practices and antibiotic use on dairy farms in Côte d'Ivoire

This research focuses on describing antibiotic treatment practices on dairy farms in Côte d'Ivoire and assessing the presence of antibiotic residues in raw milk. For this purpose, a survey was conducted among 90 dairy farmers in the southern (Abidjan), central (Bouaké) and northern (Korhogo) regions of Côte d'Ivoire. Then, antibiotic residues were analyzed in 21 samples, using the Delvotest T kit and antibiotics were identified and quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). The results showed that between 43% and 60% of farmers systematically resorted to self-medication in the event of infection of the cow herd for various reasons: experience, availability of products, saving time and economic reasons. On most farms, pathologies were treated with antibiotics obtained from pharmacies, vets or the parallel market. The antibiotics used on the dairy farms visited were macrolides, penicillins, sulphonamides, tetracyclines, aminoglycosides and first- and second-generation cephalosporins. The antibiotics identified were sulfadoxine, sulfadimethoxine, gentamicin, streptomycin, erythromycin and spiramycin. Concentrations of amoxicillin and erythromycin above the MRL (Maximum residual limit) were observed in at least 50% of samples. These findings highlight the need to educate stakeholders on the responsible use of antibiotics to minimise the risk of antimicrobial resistance and ensure food safety.