Global Journal of Fisheries Science Volume 3(3), pages 15-26, August 2021 Article Number: BC903C4A1 ISSN: 2782-750X https://doi.org/10.31248/GJFS2021.023 https://integrityresjournals.org/journal/GJFS Full Length Research Assessment of antimicrobial drugs use and their residue in the farmed fish of Kaduna, Nigeria Ladan, Adamu Aliyu 1 , Okolocha, Emmanuel Chukwudi 1 , Kabir, Janaidu 1 , Bolorunduro, Paul Ibukun-Olu 1 and Barde, Israel Joshua 2 * 1 Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University Zaria Nigeria. 2 Veterinary Pathology Division, National Veterinary Research Institute Vom Plateau State Nigeria. *Corresponding author. Email: israelbarde@yahoo.com; Tel: +234 8066655055. Copyright © 2021 Babalola et al. This article remains permanently open access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Received 30th April, 2021; Accepted 21st May, 2021 ABSTRACT: The study assessed antimicrobial drug use, pattern, and the occurrence of residues in farmed fish, as well as the level of awareness of drug residues amongst fish farmers in Kaduna State. A total of 300 fish samples from 30 farms in the three senatorial districts of Kaduna State were screened for the presence of antimicrobial drug residues. One hundred questionnaires were administered to fish farmers. Out of the 300 fish samples screened, antimicrobial drug residues were detected in 73.70%. An overall prevalence of 73.70% was obtained, while the prevalence of 63, 74, and 84% was obtained from Kaduna North, Central, and South senatorial districts respectively. From the questionnaire responses, the use of antimicrobial drugs in fish ponds was common (91.86%); with tetracycline (63.41%) being the most frequently used. Self-prescription and administration of drugs by farmers (67.86%) were more in number than those who consult veterinarians for prescription and drug administration. The level of awareness on antimicrobial drug residues in fish and dangers associated with the use and consumption of these residues were very low. Furthermore, the majority of the farmers did not observe antibiotic withdrawal periods before sales of fish to consumers. This study has established a high prevalence of antimicrobial drug residues in farmed fish in the study area. In addition, awareness of the dangers and public health implications of antimicrobial drug residues in fish amongst farmers in Kaduna is low. Therefore, the use of the antimicrobial drug in aquaculture should be regulated and farmers should be encouraged to use immunostimulators or probiotics for disease control and prevention, to safeguard the general populace from the hazards associated with drug residues in fish. Keywords: Antimicrobial residues; farmed fish, Kaduna, Nigeria. INTRODUCTION Aquaculture is currently attracting much attention as an alternative to capture fisheries (Lovell, 1991). A growing amount of fish bought at the marketplace is coming from fish farms. The use of anti-microbial compounds in aquaculture to prevent or treat fish diseases is not unusual and sometimes necessary (Kelly et al., 2020). Following the discovery of the growth-promoting and disease-fighting capabilities of antibiotics, fish farmers, and livestock producers began to use drugs in animal feeds. Antibiotics have been used to treat humans as well as animals such as domestic animals, livestock, and aquatic animals such as fish for many years to prevent or cure infections among the stock population (Horinek, 2009). The major route of transmission of resistant micro-organisms from animals to humans is through the food chain, and micro-organisms also have the potential to be resistant to many types of antibiotics (Akinbowale et al., 2006). Pathogenic bacteria in some species of fish have been linked to bacteria in humans, hence, there should be a concern for the safety of humans (Boinapally and Jiang, 2007). As in other animal production sectors, antibiotics are used in aquaculture during both production and processing,