Prevalence of oxytetracycline residues in farmed African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in Sokoto State, Nigeria

Abstract

Intensification of aquaculture has led to the increasing use of drugs and other chemicals in order to reduce mortality and increase yield and production. Antimicrobial regiments are being employed prophylactically and therapeutically to combat the challenges of fish health condition and also growth promotion in aquaculture. A number of these chemoprophylactic and chemotherapeutic agents are used in feeds or directly into the culture after lowering the level of water. Oxytetracycline, a broad-spectrum antibiotic is widely used in aquaculture as a therapeutic or prophylactic agent because of its broad spectrum activity and its low price. This study was carried out to determine the prevalence of Oxytetracycline (OTC) residues in cultured African catfish (Clarias gariepinus) in Sokoto State, Nigeria. One hundred and eighty (180 table size and ready-for-market catfish were sampled from the selected fish farms across three senatorial zones in Sokoto State for detection of Oxytetracycline residue using quantitative ELISA. The results showed that forty-nine (27.22%) catfish samples contains average Oxytetracycline residue concentration of 349.0925 ppb, which is more than the recommended Maximum Residue Level of 200 ppb. There was no significant statistical association between Oxytetracycline residues detected between three agricultural zones.