Florfenicol Therapy During Natural Mannheimia haemolytica Infection in Sakiz Sheep

ABSTRACT

Background: Bronchopneumonia caused by Mannheimia haemolytica affects sheep of all ages worldwide and may be devastating especially in young animals undergone recent stress (i.e. transportation, weaning, mixing with animals from different farms. It is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in lambs and kids, especially in those that have not received adequate colostrum or in which passive colostral immunity is waning. Yearly herd losses costing millions of dollars have led to research focused on theurapeutic trials and vaccine production because of various strains isolated demonstrating the continuing economic importance of Mannheimia haemolytica infection. A field trial was performed under commercial sheep farm located in Western Turkey, Aydin in an attempt to investigate the efficacy of an injectable formulation of florfenicol against naturally occuring Mannheimia haemolytica. Materials, Methods & Results: A total of 27 Sakiz breed lambs at the age of 36–60 days old, of both sexes, with naturally occuring M. haemolytica infection were included in the present study. Prior to allocation into groups, a detailed clinical examination carried out in all the lambs, revealed a variety of abnormal findings: coughing, presence of nasal and ophthalmic discharge increased respiratory rate and rectal temperature and abnormal sounds at lung auscultation. A total of 27 samples taken from transtracheal aspiration bronchoalveolar fluid in the Sakiz breed lambs were taken into sterile containers in an attemp to perf orm isolation and identification of Mannheimia haemolytica . The antibiotic susceptibility tests for Mannheimia haemolytica strains isolated from transtracheal aspiration bronchoalveolar fluid were carried out by disc diffusion as described previously. [...]