Screening of antimicrobial residues in poultry meat in Enugu metropolis, Enugu State, South East Nigeria

The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of antimicrobial residues in poultry in Enugu Metropolis, Enugu State, Nigeria. Four organs - kidney, liver, muscle, and gizzard - were harvested from 100 commercial broiler birds and tested using the Three Plate Test (microbiological method) with Bacillus subtilis as test organism. Of the 100 sampled birds, 64 were positive for antimicrobial residues, with a prevalence of 64%. Out of 400 organs, 155 were positive for antimicrobial residues, with different prevalence values observed in the harvested organs. Our findings indicate an association between the type of organ and the occurrence of antimicrobial residues, with the kidney having the highest prevalence (p value: < 0.0001, Chi Square test). Overall, in this study, commercial poultry were found to contain multiple antimicrobial residues, which strongly suggest the indiscriminate use of antimicrobials in livestock production.