{"title":"Veterinarians' perspectives on livestock diseases and antimicrobial use in Palestine.","authors":"Ibrahim M Alzuheir","doi":"10.14202/vetworld.2025.519-526","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aim: </strong>The livestock sector is a crucial component of Palestine's agricultural economy, supporting food security and rural livelihoods. However, challenges such as infectious diseases, limited diagnostic resources, and antimicrobial misuse impact animal health and public safety. This study investigates veterinarians' perspectives on disease prevalence and antimicrobial use in Palestinian livestock, providing the first comprehensive analysis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in veterinary practice in the region.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>A qualitative study was conducted using focus groups comprising 93 veterinarians from the West Bank, recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. A structured questionnaire collected data on disease prevalence and antimicrobial prescription patterns. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to assess associations between demographic characteristics and veterinary practices.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) were the most frequently diagnosed disease (87.5%), followed by gastroenteritis (79.2%) and mastitis (75.0%). Veterinarians predominantly prescribed broad-spectrum antimicrobials, including penicillins (50.5%), tetracyclines (48.4%), and macrolides (46.2%). The use of antimicrobials classified as critically important for human medicine, such as quinolones (43.0%) and third-generation cephalosporins (46.2%), was notable. Some instances of banned antimicrobial use, such as chloramphenicol, were also reported.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The findings highlight the reliance on empirical antimicrobial treatments and the widespread use of broad-spectrum and human-critical antimicrobials, raising concerns about AMR development. Improved antimicrobial stewardship, diagnostic capabilities, and regulatory frameworks are necessary to mitigate these risks. Policies promoting culture and sensitivity testing, along with targeted antimicrobial use, will enhance veterinary disease management and safeguard public health in Palestine.</p>","PeriodicalId":23587,"journal":{"name":"Veterinary World","volume":"18 2","pages":"519-526"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11963569/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Veterinary World","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2025.519-526","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/2/27 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"AGRICULTURE, DAIRY & ANIMAL SCIENCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
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Abstract
Background and aim: The livestock sector is a crucial component of Palestine's agricultural economy, supporting food security and rural livelihoods. However, challenges such as infectious diseases, limited diagnostic resources, and antimicrobial misuse impact animal health and public safety. This study investigates veterinarians' perspectives on disease prevalence and antimicrobial use in Palestinian livestock, providing the first comprehensive analysis of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in veterinary practice in the region.
Materials and methods: A qualitative study was conducted using focus groups comprising 93 veterinarians from the West Bank, recruited through convenience and snowball sampling. A structured questionnaire collected data on disease prevalence and antimicrobial prescription patterns. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to assess associations between demographic characteristics and veterinary practices.
Results: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) were the most frequently diagnosed disease (87.5%), followed by gastroenteritis (79.2%) and mastitis (75.0%). Veterinarians predominantly prescribed broad-spectrum antimicrobials, including penicillins (50.5%), tetracyclines (48.4%), and macrolides (46.2%). The use of antimicrobials classified as critically important for human medicine, such as quinolones (43.0%) and third-generation cephalosporins (46.2%), was notable. Some instances of banned antimicrobial use, such as chloramphenicol, were also reported.
Conclusion: The findings highlight the reliance on empirical antimicrobial treatments and the widespread use of broad-spectrum and human-critical antimicrobials, raising concerns about AMR development. Improved antimicrobial stewardship, diagnostic capabilities, and regulatory frameworks are necessary to mitigate these risks. Policies promoting culture and sensitivity testing, along with targeted antimicrobial use, will enhance veterinary disease management and safeguard public health in Palestine.
期刊介绍：
Veterinary World publishes high quality papers focusing on Veterinary and Animal Science. The fields of study are bacteriology, parasitology, pathology, virology, immunology, mycology, public health, biotechnology, meat science, fish diseases, nutrition, gynecology, genetics, wildlife, laboratory animals, animal models of human infections, prion diseases and epidemiology. Studies on zoonotic and emerging infections are highly appreciated. Review articles are highly appreciated. All articles published by Veterinary World are made freely and permanently accessible online. All articles to Veterinary World are posted online immediately as they are ready for publication.
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