Vol. 36 (2026): Volumen 36
Artículos de Investigación

Factors associated with veterinarians’ perceptions about the misuse of antibiotics and areas for improvement in small and medium-scale dairy farms in Mexico

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  • Mario Alfredo Espinosa-Martínez,
  • Eliab Estrada-Cortés,
  • Eugenio Villagómez Amezcua-Manjarrez,
  • Eduardo José Cabrera-Torres,
  • Luis Javier Montiel-Olguín
Mario Alfredo Espinosa-Martínez
Centro Nacional de Investigación Disciplinaria en Fisiología y Mejoramiento Animal, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias
Eliab Estrada-Cortés
Campo Experimental Centro Altos de Jalisco, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias
Eugenio Villagómez Amezcua-Manjarrez
Centro Nacional de Investigación Disciplinaria en Salud Animal e Inocuidad, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias
Eduardo José Cabrera-Torres
Campo Experimental Chetumal, Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias
Luis Javier Montiel-Olguín
INIFAP
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15174/au.2026.4372

Published 2026-02-18

How to Cite

Espinosa-Martínez, M. A., Estrada-Cortés, E., Villagómez Amezcua-Manjarrez, E., Cabrera-Torres, E. J., & Montiel-Olguín, L. J. (2026). Factors associated with veterinarians’ perceptions about the misuse of antibiotics and areas for improvement in small and medium-scale dairy farms in Mexico. Acta Universitaria, 36, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.15174/au.2026.4372

Copyright (c) 2026 Mario Alfredo Espinosa-Martínez, Eliab Estrada-Cortés, Eugenio Villagómez Amezcua-Manjarrez, Eduardo José Cabrera-Torres, Luis Javier Montiel-Olguín

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The objective was to analyze veterinarians’ perceptions of the inappropriate use of antibiotics in small and medium-scale dairy farms in Mexico and to identify factors that influence these perceptions. A structured questionnaire was applied to 75 technical advisors; 33 met the inclusion criteria (being a veterinarian, working with dairy cattle, and serving farms with up to 100 cows). Descriptive statistics and Fisher’s exact test were performed. Veterinarians estimated that 28.3% of their clients overuse antibiotics. Those who dedicate less time to dairy cattle identified higher inappropriate use of antibiotics (p = 0.02). An association was also found between concern about bacterial resistance and the perception that antibiotic use poses a public health threat (p = 0.009). It is concluded that about one third of producers may be using antibiotics inappropriately, highlighting the importance of strengthening technical advice and promoting preventive management practices.

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