1. Introduction

Drivers of antibiotic resistance are complex in low-middle-income countries, and it requires multi-sectoral involvement to control the spread of AMR pathogens in both humans and animals. A trans-disciplinary One Health approach is necessary to detect AMR’s emergence, identify AMR drivers, and develop interventions to mitigate the AMR in humans and animals [9]. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE), and the World Health Organization (WHO), and other professional agencies recognized the multi–sectoral One Health approach to address the public health threat of animal origin [10,11]. In 2015, WHO established the Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) to facilitate national AMR and antimicrobial consumption (AMC) surveillance systems and data sharing through a collaborative relationship between the human, animal, and environmental sectors. Bangladesh is one of the participating countries to share AMR surveillance data using the One Health approach [12].

In Bangladesh, commercial chicken and aquaculture industries are expanding day by day to meet the increasing demand for animal-source nutrition for humans. Both sectors are playing a significantly important role in the food value chain. The commercial chicken industry mainly includes broiler, layer, and Sonali (a cross-breed of Rhode Island Red cocks and Fayoumi hens) intensive farms, whereas commercial aquaculture comprises ponds (close culture system), tanks, net pens, and cage cultures [13,14]. Around 20% of rural households have ponds in their homestead, and 30% of total fish production comes from commercial extensive, semi-intensive, and intensive farms [15]. Commercial chicken and fish farms perform intensive operations to increase production and minimize disease prevalence. Many types of drugs, including antimicrobials, vitamins, minerals, and antimicrobial growth promoters are extensively used in commercial chicken and aquaculture production sectors [16,17,18,19,20,21]. Despite the massive benefit of treating animal diseases using antimicrobial drugs, the resulting emergence of antibiotic resistance has raised global concerns [22]. Many farmers in Bangladesh are less aware of the negative impact of excessive, irrational, and prophylaxis use of antibiotics in animals, and aquaculture. Inadequate veterinary healthcare facilities, insufficient monitoring and regulatory services on antibiotic usage, high occurrence of diseases, and malpractices by unqualified veterinary healthcare providers (quack, drug sellers, and animal feed dealers) contributed a crucial role in the increased and misusage of antibiotics in animal health sectors [21].

To contain AMR, the government of Bangladesh approved National Strategy for AMR Containment (ARC): 2017–2021. The objectives of this strategy are to establish a multi–sectoral One Health approach to plan, coordinate, and implement ARC containment activities, ensure rational use of antimicrobial agents in humans and animals, strengthen infection prevention and control measures, strengthen bio-safety and bio-security practices, strengthen the surveillance system for AMR and promote operational research, strengthen regulatory provisions, and establish advocacy, communication, and social mobilization [23]. The Government of Bangladesh formulated the first National Drug Policy in 1982 to ensure the drug safety, quality, and control of drug prices for human health [24]. However, there is no such drug policy or guideline for the animal production sectors. To stop using antibiotics in animal feed during manufacturing, the Bangladesh government constituted a law named “Bangladesh Fish Feed and Animal Feed Act 2010” [25]. Thus far, no study was carried out to determine the existence of antibiotics in animal feed. A significant portion of the antibiotics used in animal production sectors is procured from outside the country. The Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare monitors regulates the import, packaging, production, licensing, and registration of antibiotics [26].

In Bangladesh, minimal information is available to describe the antibiotic usage practices in food-producing animals. On the other hand, several studies were carried out to examine antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance, particularly in commercial chicken production, was explored more than other animal production sectors, including aquaculture and livestock. Notably, to date, the country has no separate policy or guideline for antibiotic usage in animal sectors. More updated information on the extent of antibiotic usage and resistance in food-producing animals is crucial to understand the current situation and design proper interventions to minimize the risk of antibiotic resistance in animals and humans. This narrative review provides an overview of antibiotic usage and antibiotic resistance in food-producing animals in Bangladesh. The findings of this review would help policymakers, animal health experts, and animal as well as fish farmers to understand the antibiotic usage and antibiotic resistance-related problems, which are essential to develop effective policies and guidelines for rational antibiotic use to protect animals as well as human health.

2. Antibiotic Usage and Resistance in Commercial Broiler Chicken

This entry is adapted from the peer-reviewed paper 10.3390/antibiotics10091032