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Review
. 2024 Mar 7;19(3):e0299917.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299917. eCollection 2024.

Importation trends in antibiotics for veterinary use in Rwanda: A retrospective study between 2019 and 2021

Rosine Manishimwe  1 , Balthazar Ndayisenga  1 , Richard Habimana  1 , Ivan Emile Mwikarago  1 , Theobald Habiyaremye  1 , Jean Paul Ndindibije  1 , Anselme Shyaka  2 , Joseph Kabatende  3 , Vedaste Habyalimana  1 , Charles Karangwa  4 , Emile Bienvenu  1
Affiliations
Review

Importation trends in antibiotics for veterinary use in Rwanda: A retrospective study between 2019 and 2021

Rosine Manishimwe et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Estimating antibiotic consumption in animals is fundamental to guiding decision-making and research on controlling the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in humans, animals, and the environment. This study aimed to establish importation trends of antibiotics for veterinary use in Rwanda between 2019 and 2021. Data was collected from the Rwanda Food and Drugs Authority's database. Quantities of imported antibiotic active ingredients were computed using the information extracted from the issued import licenses. These quantities were subsequently adjusted per animal biomass. In total, 35,291.4 kg of antibiotics were imported into Rwanda between 2019 and 2021, with an annual mean of 11,763.8 ± 1,486.9 kg. The adjustment of imported quantities of antibiotics per animal biomass revealed that 29.1 mg/kg, 24.3 mg/kg, and 30.3 mg/kg were imported in 2019, 2020, and 2021 respectively. A slight but not statistically significant decline in antibiotic importation was noted in 2020 (p-value = 0.547). Most of the imported antibiotics were indicated to be used in food-producing animals (35,253.8 kg or 99.9% of the imported antibiotics). Tetracyclines (17,768.6 kg or 50.3%), followed by sulfonamides (7,865.0 kg or 22.3%) and aminoglycosides (4,071.1 kg or 11.5%), were the most imported antibiotics over the studied period. It was noted that 78.9% of the imported antibiotics were categorized as highly important antimicrobials for human medicine. This study established a generalized overview of the importation of antibiotics for veterinary use in Rwanda. These results can serve as guidance for the control of antibiotic misuse. They can be used to make a correlation between antibiotic importation, antibiotic consumption, and the occurrence of antibiotic resistance in the country.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Quantities of imported antibiotics (kg of active pharmaceutical ingredients) by year of importation.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Imported antibiotics according to the World Health Organization levels of importance of antimicrobials for human medicine.
APIs: Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Animal biomass per animal species in 2019, 2020, and 2021 in Rwanda.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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