Chicken Waste Fed to Fish Poses Antibiotic Resistance Risk, Hyderabad Doctors Warn

<p>Hyderabad doctors are raising serious health concerns about the practice of feeding chicken waste to fish, a month after Cyberabad Police seized 100 tonnes of such waste being trucked out of the city.</p>
<p>The accused, apprehended in August, had been selling the chicken waste to fish pond owners in Andhra Pradesh. Police inspected lorries carrying the waste and disposed of the material at locations including Attapur, Miyapur, Aminpur, Kukatpally, Jeedimetla and Chintal. Veterinary officials had warned at the time that consuming fish fed with chicken waste could cause cancer.</p>
<p>Dr Mohammed Irfan Ali, Associate Consultant Physician at Virinchi Hospital, explained that poultry chickens are given antibiotic shots and hormonal injections to speed up the maturity process. He said the technique is not governed by any clear guidelines, meaning chicken waste can carry remnants of those injections.</p>
<p>"When these antibiotics are fed to fish, which is later consumed by humans, it leads to antibiotic resistance," Dr Ali said. He added that antibiotic resistance is already being seen in many patients, forcing doctors to prescribe higher doses even for simple infections.</p>
<p>Dr Ch Rajitha, Assistant Professor of Microbiology at Gandhi Medical College, highlighted microbial contamination as another major concern. "Chicken waste can contain pathogenic microorganisms, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, and pathogenic Escherichia Coli, along with other enteric organisms," she said.</p>
<p>She warned that if poultry waste contaminates aquaculture water, these pathogens may enter the fish or the surrounding environment. "This can increase the risk of food-borne infections, particularly when fish are improperly handled or inadequately cooked," Dr Rajitha said.</p>
<p>On the question of chemical contamination, Dr Rajitha noted that depending on the source and composition of the poultry waste, there could potentially be veterinary-drug residues, disinfectant residues, pesticides, heavy metals or other contaminants. She stressed, however, that the presence and concentration of such contaminants cannot be assumed and must be established through laboratory testing of the waste, pond environment and fish tissue.</p>
<p>On cancer risk specifically, Dr Rajitha urged caution against drawing conclusions too quickly. "Potential cancer risk cannot be established merely because poultry waste was used as fish feed. It is necessary to identify a specific carcinogenic contaminant, establish the level and duration of human exposure, demonstrate that the contaminant accumulates in edible fish tissue at relevant concentrations and assess the toxicological or epidemiological evidence," she explained.</p>