The role of veterinarians and feed-store vendors in the prescription and use of antibiotics on small dairy farms in rural Peru.
This study aimed to describe and compare the role of veterinarians and feed-store vendors in the use of antibiotics on small dairy farms in Cajamarca, Peru, a major dairy-producing center characterized by small, rural farms with poor, mostly uneducated farmers. We used a purposive sampling strategy to recruit 12 veterinarians into 2 focus group discussions and supplemented these data with 8 semi-structured interviews with feed-store vendors. Participants reported that inappropriate antibiotic usage was widespread among their clients, which may prevent the efficient use of drugs on farms where animal disease can be devastating to the livelihood of the farmer. Participants also identified many barriers to appropriate prescribing and use, including availability of drugs, competition from other prescribers, economic constraints and habits of farmers, and limited farmer knowledge of drugs and disease. Veterinarians expressed mistrust toward nonprofessional prescribers, whereas feed-store vendors felt that veterinarians were important partners in promoting the health of their clients' animals.
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104; Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104. Electronic address: lredding@vet.upenn.edu.
L E
LE
Redding
Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104.
F K
FK
Barg
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104; Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104.
G
G
Smith
School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104.
D T
DT
Galligan
Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104.
M Z
MZ
Levy
Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104.
S
S
Hennessy
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003132:Commerce; D003611:Dairy Products / Q000592:standards*; D003612:Dairying / Q000592:standards*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000662:veterinary*; D004363:Drug Utilization; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010568:Peru; D024382:Professional Role; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D018634:Veterinarians / Q000523:psychology*; D019155:Veterinary Drugs / Q000008:administration & dosage*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D019155:Veterinary Drugs
antibiotic use; feed-store vendor; lower/middle income countries; veterinarian