Abstract:
Antimicrobials are among the most widely used drugs in dairy animals for therapeutic and
prophylactic purposes. Antimicrobials are commonly used in dairy animals for therapeutic and
prophylactic purposes, but their residues in raw milk pose a serious public health risk. This
study aimed to detect antimicrobial residues and determine oxytetracycline residues level in
raw cow milk from Maya City between October 2023 and June 2023. A total of 400 raw milk
samples were collected from three sub-cities, and a survey assessed lactating cow owners'
knowledge of veterinary antimicrobial use, antimicrobial residues and their potential health
impacts. The samples were screened for antimicrobial residues using the Delvotest SP assay
and then analyzed with HPLC-UV to quantify oxytetracycline levels. Descriptive statistics were
used to summarize the data. Of the analyzed samples for antimicrobial residues, 23.3% had
detectable antimicrobial residues. In the sub-cities of Haramaya, Adele, and Awadeye, 28.0%,
18.3%, and 22.2% of milk samples contained residues, respectively. The overall mean level of
oxytetracycline was 81.8μg/l, with the levels of 79.4μg/l in Haramaya, 94.3μg/l in Adele, and
76.7μg/l in Awadeye. In Maya City, oxytetracycline levels ranged from 0.55 to 184.68μg/l.
About 8.5% of raw milk samples exceeded the maximum residue limit, specifically 9.33% from
Haramaya, 7.83% from Adele, and 8.2% from Awadeye. The results showed that
antimicrobials, especially oxytetracycline, were used irresponsibly in the study areas, posing a
risk of harmful residues to consumers. Regulatory authorities must raise awareness and enforce
strict regulations on antimicrobial use in the livestock
