RT Journal T1 THE ASSESSMENT OF ANTIBIOTICS USAGE AND DISEASE TRENDS IN COMMERCIAL BROILER FARMS OF POTOHAR REGION IN PAKISTAN: IMPLICATIONS FOR FOOD SAFETY A1 Hamid Masood A1 Ana Sofia Ribeiro Duarte A1 Ali Akbar A1 Syed Hamza Abbas A1 Malik Badshah A1 Aamer Ali Shah A1 Samiullah Khan JF Journal of Animal and Plant Sciences JO JAPS SN 1018-7081 VO 35 IS 6 SP 1585 OP 1598 YR 2025 FD 2025/11/30 DO DOI https://doi.org/10.36899/JAPS.2025.6.0134 AB

Pakistan’s agriculture sector contributing 14.63% to the GDP in 2024 is majorly supported by the poultry industry, with a population of more than one billion broiler chickens. This research was conducted, in which data was collected from March 2022 to December 2023 through a structured questionnaire and analyzed by using univariate and multivariate methods, including multiple correspondence analyses (MCA) and cluster dendrogram. This study identified enteritis (38.46%), bronchitis (19.23%) and Newcastle disease (15.38%) as the most prevalent diseases. The antibiotic colistin, which is considered as the last resort antibiotic, was found most frequently used in (76.92%) followed by quinolones (65.38%), amoxicillin (53.84%), macrolides (34.61%), and aminoglycosides (30.76%). The antibiotics sulfonamides (15.38%), tetracyclines (11.53%) and nitrofuranes (3.84%) were found to be used less commonly in farm management practices. These findings highlight an overuse of colistin and other antibiotics, mostly in combination, posing a significant threat to public health for the possible emergence of antimicrobial resistance against this drug. Our findings elucidate the vitality of educational interventions and farming-oriented training in the improvement of management strategies and sustainable farming practices. By addressing the extra-label uses of antibiotics in broiler farms, Pakistan can take major steps towards alleviating the global threat of antibiotic resistance while ensuring food safety and public health.

K1 Antibiotics Resistance, Diseases, Broiler Farm, Colistin, Public Health PB Pakistan Agricultural Scientists Forum LK https://thejaps.org.pk/AbstractView.aspx?mid=2025-JAPS-409