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 (χ2 = 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.

中文翻译：

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越南湄公河三角洲小型养鸡场使用的抗菌产品零售价格调查。

背景技术在越南的湄公河三角洲地区，大量含有抗菌剂的产品被用作小型鸡群的预防和治疗方法。根据世界卫生组织（WHO），其中许多含有抗微生物活性成分（AAI），它们被认为对人类医学具有“至关重要的作用”。但是，人们对这些产品的零售价格以及与农场一级抗菌药物费用相关的变量知之甚少。因此，该研究的目的是：（1）就WHO重要性标准调查抗菌药物的零售价格；（2）量化饲养鸡群产生的抗菌费用。我们在同塔（湄公河三角洲）的两个地区调查了102个随机选择的饲养肉鸡的小型农场（每个鸡群100-2000个鸡群），这些农场饲养了203个鸡群。要求农民记录零售价格和使用的抗菌剂数量。结果共鉴定出214种不同的含抗菌产品。其中包含37个不同的AAI，分别属于13个类别。超过一半（60.3％）的产品包含1个最高优先级，至关重要的AAI和38.8％的1个高度优先级，至关重要的AAI。每天给产品每公斤重1公斤的鸡（经农场调整）平均零售价为1美元（₵）的0.40美分（SE±0.05）。最昂贵的产品是那些至少包含一种高度优先且至关重要的AAI的产品，以及在两个学习区之一购买的产品。在生产周期中，每只鸡的农民平均花费on3.91（SE±0.01）的抗菌剂。在疾病和低死亡率的几周内，抗菌药物的费用要大于在疾病和高死亡率的几周内的费用，这表明抗菌药物的使用对疾病结局具有有益的影响（χ2= 3.8； p = 0.052）。农民通常在较老的鸡群上使用更昂贵的抗菌剂。结论和建议在湄公河三角洲小型养鸡场中，用于养鸡的抗菌产品的零售价格很低，与它们与人类医学的相关性无关。但是，农民对抗菌产品的价格表现出一定程度的敏感性。因此，