Knowledge and practices related to antimicrobial use in fighting cocks -a survey of fighting cock owners in Timor-Leste

Abrao J. Pereira^1*Frederico Amaral²Mauricio J. C. Coppo^3,4Kirsten E. Bailey³Shawn Ting⁵James Gilkerson³Glenn F. Browning³Joanita . Bendita D.C Jong²Jenny-Ann Toribio⁶

• ¹Animal Health Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Universidade Nacional Timor Lorosae, Dili, Timor-Leste
• ²National Directorate of Veterinary, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, and Fisheries, Dili, Timor-Leste
• ³The Asia Pacific Centre for Animal Health, Melbourne Veterinary School, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
• ⁴Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Ciencias de la Vida, Universidad Andres Bello, Concepcion, Biobio, Chile
• ⁵Global and Tropical Health Division, Menzies School of Health Research, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
• ⁶School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Camden, New South Wales, Australia

Cock fighting is an industry with a long standing in Southeast Asia and the birds have a high value. However, there is scant published literature on antimicrobial use and knowledge about antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among fighting cock owners in Timor-Leste. This cross-sectional survey was conducted of randomly selected owners of fighting cocks in urban areas in Timor-Leste between February to and March 2023 to assess their knowledge about antimicrobials and AMR, and their use of antimicrobials in fighting cocks. Data collection was done using a structured questionnaire administered by face-to-face interviews. A total of 275 participants were interviewed. Knowledge about antimicrobials and AMR among fighting cock owners in Timor-Leste was poor. Owners in urban areas (aOR = 2.4, 95% CI [1.4-4.1], p-value = 0.002) and those with higher education (aOR = 2.3, 95% CI [1.3-4.2], p-value = 0.007) were more knowledgeable Their knowledge about antimicrobials was found to be strongly associated with municipality (pvalue ≤ .001) and level of education (p-value ≤ .001). The majority used antimicrobials (76.2%, 205/269) in their cocks and the most common antimicrobials used were amoxicillin (77.5%, 159/205) and ampicillin (54.2%, 111/205). The most common reasons for use were for treating fight wounds (85.4%, 175/205), respiratory signs (26.3%, 54/205), and diarrhoea (21.0%, 43/205). This study has revealed widespread antimicrobial use by fighting cock owners with low awareness about AMR, which creates a high-risk environment for selection for emergence of AMR. There is a need for a comprehensive intervention that combines regulatory controls, enhanced surveillance, targetedand a targeted campaign to mitigate public health risks in Timor-Leste.