Analysis of oxytetracycline concentration in some brands of oxytetracycline available for veterinary use in Maiduguri, Northeastern Nigeria

Abstract

Oxytetracycline is one of the commonly used antibiotics in veterinary practice in Nigeria. Questionnaire survey was conducted to ascertain the brands of oxytetracycline commonly used among veterinary clinicians, veterinary pharmacies, and livestock farmers. Spectrophotometric method was used to determine the actual concentration of some oxytetracycline brands sold over the counter for veterinary use. Five brands of oxytetracycline soluble powder were obtained from veterinary pharmacies in Maiduguri Metropolis. The percentage content of the oxytetracycline brands were 51.72%, 80.82%, 112.30%, 60.34% and 29.50% respectively. Four out of the five brands (80%) contained less than the labelled concentration. There was moderate positive correlation (r = 0.506) between the analyzed brands and their expiring dates. This implies that there is an ongoing administration of sub-standard antibiotics to animals with consequences including but not limited to development of resistance, therapy failure, toxicity, and side effects. Results of survey revealed 97.6% of the respondents use oxytetracycline and 41 different brands were available in Maiduguri. All (100%) the respondents either found oxytetracycline to be very effective or effective, while 80% of the respondents did not notice any side effects following use of the drug. It was concluded that oxytetracycline was widely used and regarded as an effective drug by the respondents but 80% of the brands had oxytetracycline concentration below the labelled concentration. Proper monitoring and quality control assurance should be enforced by regulatory agencies.