| Тойм: | Background: In the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam, high quantities of products containing antimicrobial are used
as prophylactic and curative treatments in small-scale chicken flocks. A large number of these contain antimicrobial
active ingredients (AAIs) considered of ‘critical importance’ for human medicine according to the World Health
Organization (WHO). However, little is known about the retail prices of these products and variables associated with
the expense on antimicrobials at farm level. Therefore, the aims of the study were: (1) to investigate the retail price
of antimicrobials with regards to WHO importance criteria; and (2) to quantify the antimicrobial expense incurred in
raising chicken flocks. We investigated 102 randomly-selected small-scale farms raising meat chickens (100–2000 per
flock cycle) in two districts in Dong Thap (Mekong Delta) over 203 flock production cycles raised in these farms.
Farmers were asked to record the retail prices and amounts of antimicrobial used.
Results: A total of 214 different antimicrobial-containing products were identified. These contained 37 different
AAIs belonging to 13 classes. Over half (60.3%) products contained 1 highest priority, critically important AAI, and
38.8% 1 high priority, critically important AAI. The average (farm-adjusted) retail price of a daily dose administered
to a 1 kg bird across products was 0.40 cents of 1 US$ (₵) (SE ± 0.05). The most expensive products were those that
included at least one high priority, critically important AAI, as well as those purchased in one of the two study
districts. Farmers spent on average of ₵3.91 (SE ± 0.01) on antimicrobials per bird over the production cycle. The
expense on antimicrobials in weeks with disease and low mortality was greater than on weeks with disease and
high mortality, suggesting that antimicrobial use had a beneficial impact on disease outcomes (χ
2 = 3.8; p = 0.052).
Farmers generally used more expensive antimicrobials on older flocks.
Conclusions and recommendation: The retail prices of antimicrobial products used in chicken production in
Mekong Delta small-scale chicken farms are very low, and not related to their relevance for human medicine.
Farmers, however, demonstrated a degree of sensitivity to prices of antimicrobial products. Therefore, revising
pricing policies of antimicrobial products remains a potential option to curb the use of antimicrobials of critical
importance in animal production.
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