Available online on 15.01.2023 at http://jddtonline.info

Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics

Open Access to Pharmaceutical and Medical Research

Copyright  © 2023 The   Author(s): This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC 4.0 which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium for non-commercial use provided the original author and source are credited

Open Access  Full Text Article                                                                                                                                                                                     Research Article 

A study on the reduction of antibiotic use by introducing organic acids in broiler chicken feed in the district of Abidjan - Ivory Coast

Lanan Wassy SOROMOU¹*, Fanh Serge KESSE², Yacouba KONATE², Mamadou Fodé CAMARA²

1 Department of Applied Biology, University of Labé, 210 Labé, Republic of Guinea. 

2 Institute of Science and Veterinary Medicine, 09 Dalaba, Republic of Guinea. 

INTRODUCTION

Antibiotics are drugs used to treat and prevent infections of bacterial origin. In animal husbandry, they are used for prophylactic, metaphylactic, therapeutic purposes or as growth promoters. Nowadays, antibiotics constitute a real threat to public health, which is reflected in allergies, intoxications and antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is a problem in both human and veterinary medicine ¹. In recent years, it has become a matter of increasing concern to the general public. Indeed, on a global scale, antibiotic-resistant infections are responsible for 700,000 deaths per year. In France, according to a study conducted by the Institut de Veille Sanitaire, it is the cause of 5,543 deaths per year for 158,000 infected ². In Ivory Coast, a study conducted by the National Antibiotic Reference Center indicates that antimicrobial resistance has increased from 9% in 2002 to 46% in 2018 ³. Antimicrobial resistance could cause more than 10 million deaths worldwide by 2050; the productivity losses it causes amount to more than 1.5 billion euros in Europe, and more than 55 billion dollars in the United States. Worldwide, it could cost more than $100 trillion by 2050². In animal health, the same observation is made and the potential effects of antibiotic resistance circulate between humans and animals. Therefore, the use of antibiotics as feed additives in animals is regulated in some European countries ⁴. Faced with this problem, it is necessary to find alternatives to remedy it. Among these alternatives, organic acids are used. In fact, organic acids are used in poultry feed for nutritive actions (reduction of the pH of the gastrointestinal tract, improvement of protein digestibility, reduction of the risk of diarrhea, improvement of the quality of the litter, increase of feed consumption), antimicrobial action (although not antibiotics, they are able to inhibit or block the growth and proliferation of pathogenic bacteria as well as undesirable fungi or yeasts). In this context, this study was initiated to test the incorporation of organic acids in broiler feed in order to contribute to the reduction of antibiotic use in livestock and in poultry farming in particular.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A-Description of the study area 

This study was conducted in Ivory Coast, specifically in the District of Abidjan, the country's economic capital (Figure 1), which encompasses 80% of the country's modern poultry industry⁵. 

Figure 1: Presentation of the autonomous district of Abidjan

B-Methods              

The study consisted of a survey of the classes of antibiotics commonly used in 15 broiler farms in the district of Abidjan.

We have tested organic acids as feed additives to substitute antibiotics used by farmers. It is based on the principle of "single-band" breeding, which consists of managing lots of animals of the same age, the same species and the same type of production.

Preparation of the building   

It consisted in the disinfection of the building and the construction of a chick house with a surface of 12.5 m², at a rate of 40 chicks/ m².

A foot bath containing water and concentrated tripuricide (disinfectant) was installed at the entrance of the building. Three (3) hours before the arrival of the chicks, the drinkers and feeders were placed in the brooder, after having been thoroughly washed with diluted bleach.  

The chicks from the hatchery (Golden ivory) were collected after their first vaccination at the hatchery and then transported in a vehicle to the trial site.

2.2.1- Constitution of the experimental groups  

At the reception in the henhouse, we proceeded to an individual control of the sanitary state of the chicks and to a grouped weighing to determine the average weight of the chicks.  

The trial involved 490 broilers of the ROSS 308 strain. These chicks were divided into five lots, 98 chicks per lot. These are: 

Fysal lot (that received the organic acid (Fysal MP) incorporated in the feed;

Fysal-Selko pH lot (that received both organic acids "Fysal MP and Selko pH); 

Selko pH lot that received the organic acid (Selko MP) administered in the drinking water;

Pteryl lot (that received the vitamin antibiotic administered in the water);

Control lot (that did not receive any experimental product).

During the whole rearing period, feed and water were distributed ad libitum. Food intake, weight evolution, parameters influencing broiler growth (temperature, humidity, feed consumption, daily water consumption, average daily gain and feed conversion ratio) and mortality rate were monitored et evaluated. 

The variables were entered into the "EXCEL® " spreadsheet. The calculation of means, standard deviations, analysis of variance and comparison of means were performed using R Studio software. The means are compared at the 5% threshold (for P values lower than 0.05, the difference is considered significant).

RESULTS 

Animal health workers in the district of Abidjan have knowledge of the concepts of alternatives to antibiotics, waiting times, and state that the misuse of antibiotics is a public health problem. A survey of farmers was conducted to identify the antibiotics commonly used for the prevention of avian infections (Figure 2). 

Figure 2: Classification of antibiotics commonly used in antibiotic prevention by the farmers

Table 2: Temperature and hygrometry in the poultry house.

1. Results of Fysal, Selko pH and Pteryl effects on the growth performance of broilers
   1.  Food consumption (Table 3)

Table 3: Daily food consumption/subject/lot

Table 4: Individual daily water consumption (ml)/chicken/batch. 

Table 5: Evolution of the average live weight of the birds  

Figure 3: Live weight of patients on week 35

Table 6: Average Daily Gain  

Figure 4: Average Daily Gain by lot

Table 7: Consumption indices of the different lots

Figure 5: Consumption Index/Lot

3.5. Effects of Fysal MP, Selko pH and pteryl on the health of patients 

3.5.1.  Mortality (Figure 6)

Figure 6: Mortality rate according to the lots.

3.5.2. Anatomical and pathological signs observed (Figure 7)

Figure 7: Signs and lesions observed (in the Selko lot on day 30)

We evaluated the financial side of the study (Table 8) 

Table 8: Analysis of the economic profitability of broiler production

DISCUSSION 

At the end of our research on the trial on the incorporation of organic acids as additives to substitute antibiotics used by farmers in broiler feed in the District of Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), it is important to note that the District of Abidjan is an area in which the use of antibiotics in broiler chickens is significant. Indeed, the polyvalent antibiotics (oxytetracycline, erythromycin, streptomycin, colistin) are the most widely used antibiotics in poultry farms. The results of the trial obtained at the zootechnical level showed that the organic acids did not prevent the birds from consuming, however, the Fysal and Fysal-Selko lots recorded the best feed and water consumption compared to the other lots, as well as their weight gains were higher.  Indeed, the Fysal lot had the best average daily gain followed by the Fysal-Selko lot, the Pteryl lot, the Selko and finally the Control lot. This improvement in weight with the lot (Fysal and Fysal-Selko) could be due to a decrease in the pH of the gastrointestinal tract, an increase in proteolytic enzymatic activity, and the digestibility of nutrients.This hypothesis is in agreement with who considers that organic acids could potentially have activities that reduce the pH of the gastrointestinal tract and stimulate the digestion ⁶.

From a sanitary point of view, the results showed that organic acids seem to have an impact on pathogens through the birds' feces, which are the main source of microbial contamination of the poultry litter. Over the entire rearing period, only the Selko flock had a mortality rate that appeared to be lower than that recorded in the trial conducted by Parent et al. (1989) ⁷.

Taking into account the entire production cycle and expenses, the profit margin per lot and per chicken was 933 F CFA for the Fysal lot, 794 F CFA for the Fysal-Selko lot, 667 F CFA for the Selko lot, 606 F CFA for the Pteryl lot and 624 F for the Control lot. Economically, the organic acids had a positive impact on the profitability of the lots that consumed the organic acids.  

CONCLUSION: 

In sum, the best growth performance of broilers was obtained with the organic acid Fysal MP.  In this study, it appeared that organic acids (Fysal MP and Selko pH) could be used as alternatives to antibiotics in broiler feed.

REFERENCES 

1. Chardon H. Brugere H. Usages des antibiotiques en élevage et
    filières viandes. Cahiers Sécurité Sanitaire Santé Animale du Centre d’Information des
    Viandes. P. 36. 2014.
2. Carlet J., Le Coz P., 2015, Tous ensemble, sauvons les antibiotiques, Paris, Ministère des Affaires sociales, de la Santé et des Droits des femmes.
3. Traoré M. La résistance aux antimicrobiens fait peur à la Côte d’Ivoire, 2019. https://www.scidev.net/afrique-sub-saharienne/news/resistance-antimicrobiens-inquietante-cote-d-ivoire-09122019/ 
4. Interdiction des antibiotiques comme facteurs de croissance dans les aliments pour animaux Bruxelles, 2005. https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/fr/IP_05_1687 
5. UNICEF Fonds des Nations Unies pour l’Enfance. Enquête par grappes à indicateurs multiples CÔTE D’IVOIRE 2006. Mars 2007
6. NDayongeze D, Evaluation des effets anticoccidiens du SELKO-PH chez le poulet de chair elevee en region periurbaine de Dakar (Senegal), 2015
7. Parent R., Buldgen A., Steyeart P. et Legrand D., 1989. – Guide pratique d’aviculture moderne en climat Sahélo soudanien de l’Afrique de l’ouest Bruxelles : AGCD.-85p.