Tetracyclines in Food-Producing Animals: Use, Residues and Public Health Concerns in Africa

Abstract

The intensification of livestock production across Africa has been driven by the escalating demand for animal-derived food products. To meet this demand, farmers have increasingly adopted intensive animal husbandry practices, which often involve the extensive use of veterinary antimicrobials including tetracyclines to prevent and treat diseases, as well as to promote growth and improve feed efficiency. This review represents information on the use of tetracyclines in food-producing animals, their residues in animal-derived foods, and the implications for food safety and public health in Africa. Information was searched through different data bases such as Google Scholar, Scopus, PuMed, CINAHL Complete, Web Science, African Journal Online and FAO/WHO/WOAH covering articles published from 2007 to July, 2025. Some of the key search terms (with ‘’Africa’’ before or after the key word) included ‘’tetracycline residues in animal sourced foods’’, ‘’oxytetracycline use practices in goats, sheep, cattle, chicken’’, ‘’tetracyclines residues in meat’’, ‘’chlortetracycline residues in meat’’, “veterinary antimicrobials use”, ‘’tetracyclines MRL in foods’’, ‘’patterns of tetracycline use in African livestock’’, “antimicrobial resistance in Africa”, ‘’public health AND antimicrobial resistance” and ‘’tetracyclines use in cattle, goat, sheep, poultry’’. Moreover, some search terms involved mentioning a specific African country by name, and the key word. Full-length original research, review articles, research reports etc. on the use of tetracyclines in food-producing animals, their residues in animal-derived foods, and the implications for food safety and public health in Africa were scrutinized to extract the needful information. A total of 137 studies were included in this review. Generally, the result of the analysis of different literature shows that in all African regions, tetracycline and its derivatives rank higher in common or routine use in all types of animal foods, with the wide use for disease treatment, prevention, and/or growth promotion. Furthermore, following an analysis of several studies, it was found that some of the tetracycline residues in the analysed food samples exceeded the recommended maximum residue limits (MRL), while most exceeded the acceptable daily intake (ADI). This highlights the increased food and public health safety risks to consumers, especially upon frequent long-term consumption of residue-contaminated animal-sourced foods. The results call for enhanced veterinary antimicrobial use training and education among the animal-producing value chain stakeholders and the national and regional regulation and surveillance systems.