Quality of veterinary pharmaceuticals and their use by pastoralists in the Far North Region of Cameroon

Abstract

This study evaluates the quality of the veterinary drugs most frequently used in the Far North Region of Cameroon and describes how pastoralists use them to treat their cattle herds. High-performance liquid chromatography was used to identify and quantify the active ingredients in the drugs (penicillin G, levamisole, oxytetracycline, diminazene diaceturate, vitamin A, and vitamin E acetate) and gas chromatography mass spectrometry to determine if organic chemical contaminants were present. The results showed that 69% of surveyed pastoralists used veterinary medicines to treat common illnesses. In addition, the most commonly used medications (procaine penicillin G and oxytetracycline) were used in a manner inconsistent with the recommended dosage, frequency, duration, and withdrawal period by 98% of the pastoralists. However, contrary to previous studies, the quality of the medications used by pastoralists was generally good. The poor compliance with recommended treatment protocols was much more prevalent than use of poor quality medications and presents a potential for treatment failure, drug resistance of animal pathogens, and harmful drug residues in the human food supply, all of which have potentially negative consequences for animal and human health.