Usage of Intramammary Antimicrobial Veterinary Medicinal Products in The Republic of Serbia from 2011 to 2014

Prudent use of antimicrobial medicine is an imperative in both human and veterinary medicine today. Antibiotic usage in humans and animals has increased over the years, consequently giving rise to antimicrobial resistance in pathogenic microorganisms. Mastitis is one of the most common conditions in bovine species, and intramammary antibacterial medicinal products are used in animal husbandry for mastitis treatment and prophylaxis.

This paper presents the quantities of intramammary antibiotics sold in the Republic of Serbia from 2011 to 2014 based on data reported to the Medicines and Medical Devices Agency of Serbia by Marketing Authorization Holders. Furthermore, we assessed the number of treated cows and compared those results with the reported total number of cows in the same time period, providing information on animal exposure to particular antibiotics.

In 2011 and 2012, beta-lactams were the most commonly used antimicrobials, while beta-lactams in combination with other substances were the most commonly used antibiotics in 2014, with a total of 80,927 treated animals. From 2011 to 2014, 15-25% of cows were treated with intramammary antimicrobials.

Bearing in mind the growing importance of antibiotic resistance in humans and animals, these results reveal the scope of the potential human exposure to antibiotics via consumption of the milk of treated cows.