Effects of Panax ginseng polysaccharides on the gut microbiota in mice with antibiotic-associated diarrhea.

Panax ginseng is a traditional medicinal plant used in most Asian countries to cure many diseases. The benefits of ginseng are due to its primary active component, polysaccharides. Gut microbiota dysbiosis is a worldwide problem associating with antibiotic use. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of ginseng polysaccharides (WGP) on the diversity of the gut microbiota in mice with antibiotic-associated diarrhea. Compared to diarrhea mice, WGP significantly changed the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota. Specifically, WGP increased the relative abundance of the phylum Firmicutes and decreased the relative abundance of the phyla Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria. At the genus level, WGP increased the relative abundance of Lactobacillus, Lactococcus, and Streptococcus, but decreased the relative abundance of Bacteroides. The key phylotype of beneficial bacteria in the gut microbiota that responded to WGP was Lactobacillus. In addition, WGP also reversed carbohydrate, amino acid and energy metabolism to normal levels, thereby promoting the recovery of the mucosal structure. Taken collectively, our results indicate that WGP altered the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota in mice with antibiotic-associated diarrhea, restored the gut microbiota, balanced metabolic processes, and promoted the recovery of the mucosa.

Influence of antibiotic therapy on serum levels of reactive oxygen species in ovariectomized bitches.

This study was conducted on 60 ovariectomized bitches. The objectives were to measure the mean reactive oxygen species (ROS) concentrations before, during and after surgery, and to investigate the effect of the administration of five different antibiotic treatments: amoxicillin, benzylpenicillin/dihydrostreptomycin, sulfametazine/sulfamerazine/sulfathiazole, enrofloxacin, lincomycin/spectinomycin. The first value recorded represented the mean ROS concentration in anestral bitches and constitutes a reference level with which to compare the subsequent measurements. After premedication, induction of anesthesia and during maintenance and surgery, ROS serum concentrations showed constant values until the end of surgery. After surgery and during antibiotic administration, an increase in ROS concentration occurred, which differed among the five groups in relation to the antibiotics employed. The lowest increases occurred in the groups treated with the combination of lincomycin/spectinomycin, and with amoxicillin; whereas the highest increases were detected in the group treated with enrofloxacin. The three other antibiotics showed an intermediate level of influence on oxidative status.

Effect of dietary supplementation of chitosan and galacto-mannan-oligosaccharide on serum parameters and the insulin-like growth factor-I mRNA expression in early-weaned piglets.

The study was to determine effects of dietary supplementation of chitosan (COS) and galacto-mannan-oligosaccharides (GMOS) on some serum biochemical indices, serum growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels, and hepatic and long gissimus muscle IGF-I mRNA expression in early-weaned piglets. Twenty six Duroc x Landrace x Yorkshire piglets at the age of 15 days were used. The piglets had access to creep feed during the suckling. Six piglets were sacrificed for sampling at the beginning of the study. The other 20 piglets were individually housed in metabolic cages and randomly allotted to four corn and soybean meal-based diets including the control group, the antibiotic group with 110 mg lincomycin/kg diet, the COS group containing 0.025% COS, and the GMOS group with 0.20% GMOS, respectively, in a 2-week feeding experiment. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) level was reduced whereas serum total protein concentration was increased (P<0.05) in responses to the COS and GMOS supplementation. Dietary supplementation of COS and GMOS also increased (P<0.05) the serum GH and IGF-I levels along with enhanced hepatic and the muscle IGF-I mRNA abundance. Dietary supplementation of oligosaccharides such as COS and GMOS may improve growth and feed conversion efficiency by increasing plasma GH and IGF-I levels, in the early-weaned piglets.

Evaluation of lincomycin in drinking water for treatment of induced porcine proliferative enteropathy using a Swine challenge model.

A single-location, challenge-model study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of lincomycin against porcine proliferative enteropathy when administered through the drinking water at 125 and 250 mg/gallon. The primary variables of interest were pig removal rate, diarrhea scores, demeanor scores, and abdominal appearance scores. Ancillary performance variables examined included average daily feed intake, average daily gain, and feed per gain. After a 3-day acclimation period, pigs were challenged on 2 consecutive days with a mucosal homogenate containing a total dose of 1.4 x 10(9) cells of Lawsonia intracellularis. Five days later, when porcine proliferative enteropathy was well established, drinking water medicated with 125 mg (L125) or 250 mg (L250) lincomycin/gallon was provided to two groups of pigs for 10 days. Pigs were observed for 13 days following the treatment period. A third group of pigs served as controls and received unmedicated drinking water throughout the study. The L250 group experienced a significantly lower (P < .05) pig removal rate than the control group over the 23-day observation period. Additionally, for every primary variable, the L250 group experienced a significantly decreased (P < .01) number of abnormal days compared with the control group. The L125 group showed a significant reduction (P < .05) in abnormal demeanor and abnormal abdominal appearance scores compared with controls.

[Therapeutic effect of some antibiotics on experimental staphylococcal infection and its correlation with in vitro activity of antibiotics in sub-inhibitory concentration against Staphylococcus aureus strains]. / Efekt terapeutyczny niektórych antybiotyków w doswiadczalnych zakazeniach gronkowcowych oraz jego powiazania z aktywnoscia in vitro antybiotyków w stezeniach subinhibicyjnych wobec szczepów Staphylococcus aureus.

The aim of the study was to demonstrate of whether the therapeutic effects of antibiotics depend on their in vitro activity in sub-inhibitory concentrations against staphylococci. Cloxacillin, gentamicin and lincomycin were used in the study. Groups of S. aureus strains, containing 6 strains with similar MIC values each but different sensitivity to sub-inhibitory antibiotic concentrations (sub-MIC) were selected (a total of 36 trains): i. strains increasing their sensitivity to phagocytosis and bactericidal activity of rabbit leukocytes after incubation with an antibiotic in 0.1 MIC concentration, ii. strains with sensitivity to the above factors unaffected by incubation with an antibiotic in 0.5 MIC concentration. The doses of staphylococci causing death of 90-100% of Swiss albino mice 10 days after i.p. infection were determined. The injected doses (LD 90-100) and various doses of antibiotics were used to determine ED50 values as well as the survival rate of the mice with experimental staphylococcal infections after treatment with these antibiotics. It was demonstrated that effective doses (ED 50) of the antiboitics were significantly lower when the antibiotics were administered once to mice infected with strains S. aureus sensitive to sub-MIC concentrations of the investigated antibiotics than for mice infected with strains resistant to their sub-MIC concentrations. Similar correlations were observed in mice which were given the antibiotics several times (for 7 days): the percentage of the surviving mice was higher in the group infected with sub-MIC sensitive strains. The therapeutic effect of cloxacillin, gentamicin and lincomycin demonstrated a significant correlation with the S. aureus strains used to induce the infections and their sensitivity, or lack of sensitivity in vitro, to phagocytosis and bactericdal activity of leukocytes in the presence of antibiotics in sub-MIC concentrations.

The effect of organic acids on the control of porcine post-weaning diarrhoea.

Post-weaning diarrhoea syndrome (PWDS) of piglets is caused mainly by Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains. Six organic acids were tested for their efficacy in the control of PWDS, using a total of 384 weaned piglets, in eight groups, during a 28-day period. One group (negative control) was offered a diet free of antimicrobials, one group (positive control) was offered the same diet medicated with 44 p.p.m. of lincomycin and 44 p.p.m. spectinomycin (Lincospectin 22 premix, Upjohn), and six groups were offered feed supplemented with either 1.0 per cent propionic acid, 1.6 per cent lactic acid, 1.2 per cent formic acid, 1.2 per cent malic acid, 1.5 per cent citric acid or 1.5 per cent fumaric acid. Groups were compared with regard to the appearance of clinical signs, mortality, weight gain and feed conversion. All groups supplemented with organic acids had reduced incidence and severity of diarrhoea, and performed significantly better than the negative control group (P<0.05). At the end of the trial, ETEC strains were detected in the control group not receiving antibiotics but not in the treated group. Organic acids and especially lactic acid are a useful tool in controlling PWDS.

Effects of the combination antibiotic--EDTA-Tris in the treatment of chronic bovine endometritis caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.

The combined effects of the uterine infusion of EDTA-Tris solution and antibiotics have been evaluated in 75 cases of slight, moderate or severe bovine endometritis which did not respond to local routine antimicrobial therapy. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria were isolated from uterine swabs. The cows were divided into three groups on the basis of the severity of endometritis and treated with 100 ml of sterile EDTA-Tris solution (250 mM EDTA and 50 mM tris, pH 8) and the same antibiotic used in the first unsuccessful treatment (oxytetracycline, enrofloxacin, lincomycin-spectinomycin or amikacin). Control groups consisting of six animals treated with antibiotic alone were used. Clinical evaluations performed 2, 15, 21, 42 and 63 days after treatment revealed good therapeutic results, as 53 cows showed a complete recovery with renormalization of the subsequent oestrus cycle. Artificial insemination was followed by pregnancy in about 90% of treated cows. In control animals the second treatment performed using only the antibiotic gave variable and unsatisfactory results, particularly in animals affected by severe endometritis.

[Use of vilozen and ketotifen combination for increasing the effectiveness and prevention of complications of antibiotic therapy of streptococcal infections]. / Primenenie kombinatsii vilozena i ketotifena dlia povysheniia éffektivnosti i profilaktiki oslozhnenii antibiotikoterapii streptokokkovykh infektsii.

The clinical efficacy of a vilozen and ketotifen (zaditen) combination in the treatment of streptococcal infections along with the routine therapy was studied. The use of the combination was shown advisable in the complex therapy and prevention of relapses in patients with streptococcal infections. The combined pharmacotherapy promoted better clinical indices, normalization of the immune status and a reduction in the incidence of allergic reactions to antibiotics and a decrease in sensitization to bacterial allergens.

Therapeutic efficacy of medicating drinking water with spectinomycin and lincomycin-spectinomycin in experimental Escherichia coli infection in poultry.

Although no microbiological activity was found in blood plasma during treatment of broilers through the drinking water with spectinomycin or lincomycin-spectinomycin, these drugs proved highly effective in treating experimentally induced colibacillosis. This efficacy may be produced by a metabolite or a degradation product of spectinomycin that reaches the infection site in the respiratory tract and interferes with adherence of bacteria.

Therapeutic effect of optimal lincomycin concentration in drinking water on necrotic enteritis in broilers.

The efficacy of 16.9 mg lincomycin/liter of drinking water was evaluated for the treatment of necrotic enteritis (NE) in 743 broiler-type chickens. Birds were raised in a facility containing a built-up litter obtained from a source that experienced NE. They were commingled from 1 day of age until NE was observed. Two groups of 6 pens each were given 0 or 16.9 mg lincomycin/liter of drinking water. Water medication was offered fresh daily for 7 days and the study was terminated 3 weeks after initiation of therapy. The susceptibility of Clostridium perfringens to lincomycin was determined in vitro. The test organism was susceptible to lincomycin as reflected by minimal inhibitory concentration and minimal lethal concentration of .156 microgram/ml. Mortality attributed to NE was 0% in lincomycin treated birds and 14% in nonmedicated control birds (P less than .01). Lincomycin water medication was highly effective for the treatment of NE in broilers.

Antibiotic loaded plaster of Paris pellets: an in vitro study of a possible method of local antibiotic therapy in bone infection.

Plaster of Paris is an effective ancillary treatment in the surgery of infected cavities in bone. It is well tolerated and spontaneously absorbed over a period of weeks to months, being replaced by bone of normal architecture. It effectively obliterates much of the dead space, leaving little room for hematoma formation. It would appear logical to treat local infection, especially involving rigid walled cavities, by a locally diffused antibiotic. When incorporated into plaster of Paris pellets, two antibiotics, Fucidin and gentamicin, are capable of prolonged local release in bacteriocidal concentrations. On the basis of in vitro observations on bacterial cultures, it is proposed that antibiotic-plaster of Paris pellets might be a simple adjuvant technique to good surgical debridement in the treatment of bone infection. Plaster of Paris has the practical advantage over acrylic cement beads containing antibiotics in that it is resorbed and would not need a subsequent operation to be moved.

High-dose tobramycin combined with clindamycin or lincomycin in the treatment of septic peritonitis and intraabdominal sepsis.

Tobramycin in combination with clindamycin or lincomycin were used as systemic antibiotics in the treatment of 20 consecutive patients with septic peritonitis or intraabdominal sepsis, 10 of which were in septic shock. Doses were: tobramycin 1.5 mg/kg body weight every 8 hours, with prolonged dosage interval in patients with reduced renal function, clindamycin 0.9 g every 8 hours and lincomycin 1.2 g every 8 hours. Therapy was monitored by means of tobramycin serum concentration determinations and renal function tests. Eventual cure of the infection was obtained in 19 patients. In 2 of these, the effects of the antibiotics were doubtful. Side effects were observed on 8 occasions: One patient had a slight and temporary subjective hearing loss, coinciding with raised trough levels of tobramycin. Diarrhoea occurred in 3 cases and skin reactions in 3 cases. Superinfection with Candida albicans fungemia occurred in one patient. From the overall results it is concluded that the antibiotic regimen is of value in serious life-threatening infections. Although the tobramycin dose was higher than customarily used in Scandinavia at the time, 0 hour and 1 hour serum concentrations remained stable during therapy in patients whose renal function was normal at onset of therapy. Serum creatinine (S-Cr) levels in these patients were also essentially unchanged. Temporary reductions in osmolality (Osm) ratio Osm-urine/Osm-serum occurred in 11 patients despite normal S-Cr, but it was hard to attribute these impairments of renal function to tobramycin specifically. It was also doubtful whether tobramycin further aggravated renal function in those patients where it was impaired at onset of therapy. Thus, no conclusive evidence of clinically important tobramycin-induced nephrotoxicity were found. We suggest that the dosage schedule of tobramycin used in this study is applied when treating serious intraabdominal infections.

Efficacy of Linco-Spectin medication on mycoplasma meleagridis airsacculitis in turkey poults.

The efficacy of Linco-Spectin (LS) water medication was determined against Mycoplasma meleagridis (MM) airsacculitis in turkey poults under controlled conditions. The poults were obtained from commercial flocks naturally infected with MM. Water medication was given for the first five days of life. In Georgia and Ohio, LS was given at 0, 1, 2, and 4 g per gallon of drinking water. In California and Minnesota, LS was administered at 0 and 2 g per gallon of drinking water. At three weeks old, the birds were weighed individually and examined serologically, culturally, and grossly for MM airsacculitis. LS at 2 g activity per gallon of drinking water was beneficial in controlling MM airsacculitis in all four trials.

Comparison of therapeutic efficacy of doxycycline, chlortetracycline and lincomycin-spectinomycin on E. coli infection of young chickens.

Three replicate trials were conducted with broiler male chicks to test the therapeutic efficacy of doxycycline, chlortetracycline and lincomycin-spectinomycin in water against an artifically induced Escherichia coli infection. Mortality, lesion scores (heart, liver and air sac), and performance data were the criteria in evaluating therapeutic efficacy of these drugs. Results indicated the therapeutic efficacy of doxycycline was greater than chlortetracycline and lincomycin-spectinomycin.

[Effectiveness of the inhalatory administration of chlolincocin in experimental staphylococcal pneumonia]. / Effektivnost' ingaliatsionnogo vvedeniia khlolinkomitsina pri éksperimental' noi stafilokkovoi pnevmonii

Administration of chlolincocin (7-chlor-7-desoxylincomycin) in the form of inhalation aerosol to albino mice in a dose of 200 Units/mouse provided the drug therapeutic concentrations in the lung tissue. The antibiotic was well adsorbed and detected in the blood, liver, kidneys and other biological substrates. Penetration of chlolincocin and lincomycin from the lungs into the blood was better in healthy animals. In animals with experimental staphylococcal infection their blood levels were 1.5--2 times lower. Repeated inhalations of chlolincocin resulted in an increase resulted in its levels in the lung tissue up to 8--10 Units/ml, however, its blood levels increased insignificantly. When chlolincocin and lincomycin were administered intravenously, their concentrations in the lung tissue were lower and detected for a shorter period of time than after the inhalation administration. The aerosols of chlolincocin markedly inhibited the growth of Staph. aureus in the lungs. The drug was 3--5 times more active than lincomycin. Inhalation administration of chlolincocin aerosol is supposed to be expedient for the treatment of inflammatory diseases of the respiratory organs caused by lincomycin sensitive flora.