Rapid detection of antimicrobial residues in poultry: A consequence of non-prudent use of antimicrobials

A cross sectional survey was conducted in three major poultry markets at Enugu Urban area of Enugu State, South Eastern, Nigeria, to determine the prevalence of antimicrobial residues in commercial broiler birds using Premi? Test Kit. Antimicrobials generally due to their availability over the counter and non-enforcement of legislature on irrational use are often abused in both veterinary and medical practice in most developing countries. The misuse and overuse of these drugs lead to deposition of violative levels of antimicrobial residues in animal tissues meant for human consumption with several health consequences when consumed. Premi? Test like all other microbiological tests is based on the principle of inhibition and was able to detect antibiotic residues in 42 (60%) of the 70 sampled commercial birds from three major poultry markets in the study area. It detected also residues in 90 out of the 280 different organ matrices made up of 70 samples of each organ, of which Kidney was the highest at 48.6%, Gizzard (30.1%), liver (25.8%), and muscle (24.3%) in that order. No association was found between the occurrence of antibiotic residues and the location of the poultry markets sampled at P < 0.05 while a strong association between antibiotic residues and the organ type at P < 0.05 was found.