Otherindependent cross-checkabstract only checked I-FSH-13 standard review
Antibiotic use in Egyptian tilapia farms
Systems-thinking approach to identify and assess feasibility of potential interventions to reduce antibiotic use in tilapia farming in Egypt.
Overview
Desbois AP et al.. Aquaculture 2021 · PMID 34276104 · DOI 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2021.736735
Antibiotics enter farms via medicated feed and drainage water.
Does the study support the specific claim? Yes · Methodological quality: low
Plain-language summary
Study explained simply
- What did the researchers want to find out?
Map antibiotic flows.
- How was the study done?
Workshop/survey.
- How many people, animals or samples were studied?
Stakeholders.
- What was actually found?
Feed and water sources.
- What do the results mean in everyday life?
Farm management matters.
- What are the study's limitations?
Qualitative.
- What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?
Supports context.
- Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?
Low.
- What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?
Amounts.
Scientific in-depth review
1. Full reference
- Authors
- Desbois AP et al.
- Journal
- Aquaculture
- Year
- 2021
- Identifier
- PMID 34276104 DOI 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2021.736735
- Verification
- verified – PubMed efetch 2026-10-25
- Retracted
- no
- Corrections
- none
- Extent checked
- abstract only
- Conflicts of interest and funding
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
2. Research question
Where are antibiotics used in Egyptian tilapia farming and which interventions are feasible?
3. Study design and population
- Study design
- Other – Participatory systems mapping with stakeholders plus survey
- Population
Aquaculture stakeholders
- Country
Egypt (Nile Delta)
- Period
2018 workshop
- Sample size
not stated
4. Methods and endpoints
- Endpoints
Hotspots; feasible interventions
- Statistical methods
Qualitative
5. Actual results
- Results
Antibiotics enter via medicated feed and via agricultural drainage water (main water source for most farms); disease events with antibiotic-resistant pathogens reported; short-term options: water exchange, monitoring, feed storage, probiotics, training.
- Absolute risks
not reported
- Authors' conclusion
Identifying feasible interventions is vital for the tilapia sector in Egypt.
6. Strengths
- Local stakeholder input
7. Weaknesses
- Qualitative
8. Risk of bias
- Orienting tool
- none applicable
- Type of assessment
- simplified assessment (abstract only)
- Full formal assessment
- no
- Overall risk of bias
- not assessable
9. Assessment of the statistical interpretation
10. Relevance to the specific claim
11. Independent contrary findings
12. Transferability to Germany and Europe
Low.
13. Overall methodological judgement
Describes Egyptian context.
| Multidimensional assessment | |
|---|---|
| Authenticity of the source | verified |
| Methodological quality | low |
| Risk of bias | not assessable |
| Precision of results | not applicable |
| Directness | indirect |
| Reproducibility | unknown |
| Consistency with the overall evidence | unknown |
| Regional transferability | low |
| Adequacy of the interpretation (by the archive) | not applicable |
14. Open questions
Quantities used.
15. Linked fact checks
- Aquaculture uses vast quantities of antibiotics; about 80% enter the environment with their activity intact and select for resistance genes that can reach human pathogens. – Studies supporting the claim
- Farmed fish (e.g. tilapia, mullet) are forbidden because their food is not clean: they are fed poultry manure and poultry offal, and the waste of fish farms is in turn fed to cattle. – Studies supporting the claim