Abstract:
Antibiotics are deployed in large quantities both in human and veterinary medicine.
They have played a major role in improving human health and supporting
livestock production. However, the relevance of non-therapeutic and therapeutic
applications needs a time-to-time re-evaluation due to its significant relationship
to increased emergence of resistant pathogen strains both in humans and
animals. This is due to widespread discharge into the aquatic environment from
both domestic and agricultural sources of antibiotics which are not completely
metabolized (original compounds) or metabolites of which are recycled through
drinking water under low doses.
A study was conducted to analyze the presence of sulfonamide, ciprofloxacin
and tetracycline in swine, cattle and poultry manure in Morogoro municipality. A
total of sixty grab manure samples from poultry, swine and cattle were analyzed.
Twenty samples for each type of livestock manure were collected from Morogoro
municipality for analysis. The respective antibiotics were analyzed by ELISA. The
highest mean concentrations in manure sample were 1320.9967 ± 710.06372 μg/
kg, 2083.2640 ± 826.64583 μg/kg and 1573.7528 ± 222.95739 μg/kg, Sulfonamide,
Ciprofloxacin and Tetracycline respectively. In overall, higher concentrations of the
antibiotics were detected in poultry and swine manure than in cattle. This indicates
heavier usage of veterinary antibiotics in poultry and swine husbandry in the study
area as compared to cattle. The findings of this study provide basic information on
the risk of environmental antibiotic contamination from animal effluents.
