Restoration of the sensitivity of Eimeria acervulina to anticoccidial drugs in the chicken following use of a live coccidiosis vaccine.

The efficacy of the anticoccidial drugs amprolium, clopidol, diclazuril, monensin, monensin + nicarbazin, narasin, narasin + nicarbazin, and salinomycin against field isolates of Eimeria acervulina obtained from a commercial broiler enterprise before and after immunization with a coccidiosis vaccine was investigated. Evaluated by weight gain, feed conversion, and lesion score following challenge, the isolate obtained before vaccination was resistant to all the drugs tested. By contrast, after vaccination the isolate was sensitive to all drugs evaluated by weight gain, and to most drugs judged by feed conversion and lesion score. It is concluded that vaccination had resulted in the restoration of sensitivity to these drugs.

Synergistic effect of a combination of nicarbazin and monensin against coccidiosis in the chicken caused by Eimeria spp.

A clinical study was made into the abilities of nicarbazin and monensin and a nicarbazin + monensin combination to control Eimeria acervulina, E. maxima, and E. tenella in chickens. When included in the feed, at concentrations of 40 ppm nicarbazin or 40 ppm monensin, these products showed partial efficacy evaluated by daily weight gain (DWG) but no activity judged by daily feed intake (DFI) or feed conversion ratio (FCR). By contrast, the combination of 40 ppm nicarbazin + 40 ppm monensin provided complete control of infection judged by greater DWG and DFI, and lower FCR. Monensin at a concentration of 40 ppm was ineffective in preventing lesions caused by all three species. Nicarbazin at a concentration of 40 ppm was unable to suppress lesions of E. acervulina and E. maxima but was able to suppress lesions caused by E. tenella. Nicarbazin 40 ppm + monensin 40 ppm suppressed lesions of all three species. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Nicarbazin or monensin at 40 ppm gave only partial control of Eimeria spp. A combination of 40 ppm nicarbazin + 40 ppm monensin controlled DWG, DFI and FCR. Nicarbazin or monensin at 40 ppm did not suppress all Eimeria spp. lesions. Nicarbazin 40 ppm + monensin 40 ppm suppressed lesions of all three species.

Efficacy of Tylosin and Tilmicosin Against Experimental Mycoplasma gallisepticum Infection in Chickens.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum, the cause of chronic respiratory disease, remains one of the most important pathogens in the poultry industry. Controlling the impact of this disease is done by eradication of positive breeder flocks or by vaccination and medication. Tylosin and tilmicosin are often used in medication programs. However, recent data on the in vivo efficacy of these macrolide antibiotics are scarce. Therefore, two dose titration studies were conducted using a recently isolated M. gallisepticum strain belonging to the wild-type population with regard to its tilmicosin and tylosin minimal inhibitory concentration. In a first trial, broilers were infected with M. gallisepticum and treated with 10 or 20 mg tilmicosin/kg body weight (BW) in the drinking water for five successive days. In a second trial, broilers were infected with M. gallisepticum and treated with 35 or 100 mg tylosin/ kg BW in the drinking water for five successive days. Clinical scoring of respiratory signs, macroscopic scoring of respiratory tract lesions, M. gallisepticum isolation from the respiratory organs, weight gain, and mortality were monitored for efficacy evaluation. All tylosin and tilmicosin treatments significantly reduced the course of clinical respiratory disease, macroscopic lesions in the respiratory organs, and M. gallisepticum numbers in the respiratory tract and obtained higher weight gains compared with the Mycoplasma-infected untreated control group. A treatment of 100 mg tylosin/kg daily for 5 days was not more clinically efficacious than the dosage of 35 mg tylosin/kg daily for 5 days. At final necropsy, in animals treated with 20 mg/kg BW tilmicosin, significantly fewer respiratory tract lesions were present than in the animals treated with 10 mg/kg BW tilmicosin. Therefore, when tilmicosin is used to treat clinical outbreaks of M. gallisepticum in broilers, a dosing scheme of 20 mg tilmicosin/kg BW for five successive days seems to be the most recommended scheme.

Eficacia de la tilosina y la tilmicosina contra la infección experimental por Mycoplasma gallisepticum en pollos. Mycoplasma gallisepticum, la etiología de la enfermedad respiratoria crónica, sigue siendo uno de los patógenos más importantes en la industria avícola. El control del impacto de esta enfermedad se realiza mediante la erradicación de parvadas reproductoras positivas o mediante la vacunación y medicación. La tilosina y la tilmicosina se usan a menudo en programas de medicación. Sin embargo, los datos recientes sobre la eficacia in vivo de estos antibióticos macrólidos son escasos. Por lo tanto, se realizaron dos estudios de titulación de dosis utilizando una cepa de M. gallisepticum recientemente aislada que pertenece a una población de tipo silvestre con respecto a la concentración mínima inhibitoria de tilmicosina y tilosina. En un primer ensayo, los pollos de engorde se infectaron con M. gallisepticum y se trataron con 10 o 20 mg de tilmicosina por kg de peso corporal (BW) en el agua potable durante cinco días sucesivos. En un segundo ensayo, los pollos de engorde se infectaron con M. gallisepticum y se trataron con 35 o 100 mg de tilosina por kg de peso corporal en el agua potable durante cinco días consecutivos. Se registraron las puntuaciones clínicas de los signos respiratorios, las puntuaciones macroscópicas de las lesiones del tracto respiratorio, el aislamiento de M. gallisepticum de los órganos respiratorios, el aumento de peso y la mortalidad para evaluar la eficacia. Todos los tratamientos con tilosina y tilmicosina redujeron significativamente el curso de la enfermedad respiratoria clínica, las lesiones macroscópicas en los órganos respiratorios y los números de M. gallisepticum en el tracto respiratorio y obtuvieron mayores ganancias de peso en comparación con el grupo control no tratado e infectado con Mycoplasma. Un tratamiento de 100 mg de tilosina por kg al día por 5 días no fue más eficaz clínicamente que la dosis de 35 mg de tilosina por kg al día por 5 días. Al final de la necropsia, en animales tratados con 20 mg por kg de peso de tilmicosina, hubo significativamente menos lesiones en el tracto respiratorio que en los animales tratados con 10 mg por kg de peso de tilmicosina. Por lo tanto, cuando la tilmicosina se usa para tratar los brotes clínicos de M. gallisepticum en pollos de engorde, un esquema de dosificación de 20 mg de tilmicosina por kg de peso corporal durante cinco días sucesivos parece ser el esquema más recomendado. Abbreviations: BW = body weight; ccu = color changing units; dpi = days postinoculation; GE = genomic equivalent; MIC = minimal inhibitory concentration; qPCR = quantitative PCR; tylo = tylosin; tilm = tilmicosin.

Efficacy of tiamulin alone or in combination with chlortetracycline against experimental Mycoplasma gallisepticum infection in chickens.

Mycoplasma gallisepticum (M. gallisepticum) remains one of the most important diseases in poultry production. Controlling the impact of the disease is done by eradication of positive breeder flocks or by vaccination and medication. A widely used molecule in medication programs is tiamulin, a pleuromutilin antibiotic. Since recent data on the in vivo efficacy of this molecule are scarce, 2 challenge studies were conducted using a recently isolated M. gallisepticum strain belonging to the wildtype population with regard to its tiamulin and tetracycline minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). In the first challenge study, the dose rate of tiamulin was tested. For this, broilers were infected with M. gallisepticum and treated with 10 mg or 25 mg tiamulin hydrogen fumarate (hf)/kg body weight (BW) for 5 successive days. In a second challenge study, the dose rate of tiamulin combined with chlortetracycline was tested. For this, broilers were infected with M. gallisepticum and treated with 6.25 mg tiamulin hf/18.75 mg chlortetracycline hydrochloride (hcl)/kg BW or 12.5 mg tiamulin hf/37.5 mg chlortetracycline hcl/kg BW for 5 successive days. Clinical scoring of respiratory signs, macroscopic scoring of respiratory tract lesions, M. gallisepticum isolation from the respiratory organs, weight gain, and mortality were the monitored efficacy parameters. The first study demonstrated that a 5-day 10 mg/kg BW tiamulin hf treatment provided significant protection against the M. gallisepticum infection. However, since the 5-day 25 mg/kg BW group was significantly better than the 10 mg/kg BW for reducing the post-treatment clinical signs and the M. gallisepticum numbers in the respiratory organs, the 25 mg/kg BW treatment is recommended for clinical M. gallisepticum infections. In the second study, the combined 12.5 mg tiamulin hf/37.5 mg chlortetracycline hcl/kg BW resulted in a significant reduction of the severity of clinical respiratory disease post treatment and a significant reduction of the M. gallisepticum numbers in the respiratory tract.

[Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC)]. / Aviaire pathogene Escherichia coli (APEC).

Escherichia coli infections are being increasingly detected among poultry flocks, indicating the growing importance of this pathogen to the industry. The infection begins as a respiratory infection of the trachea, followed by colonization of the air sacs and lungs, from where it invades the blood-stream, leading to infection of the deeper organs (liver, heart, oviduct, and peritoneum). A number of factors play a crucial role in the virulence and pathogenesis of infection. The F1 and P pili are particularly important in establishing the infection at the level of the tracheal epithelium cell. Other important factors are aerobactin, capsule, and serum resistance. Treatment is with antibiotics, but the growing bacterial resistance of avian E. coli and stricter regulations mean that attention is turning to prophylactic, preventative, measures, such as vaccination. Current vaccines provide limited homologous protection against the pathogen. Research is needed to develop a good, broad-spectrum vaccine.

Plasma biochemistry in pigeons experimentally infected with Salmonella.

Ten pigeons were crop inoculated with 1 x 10(9) colony-forming units of Salmonella typhimurium var. Copenhagen and observed during 28 days. Ten sham-inoculated pigeons served as noninfected controls. Clinical signs after Salmonella infection consisted of polydipsia, polyuria, and diarrhea. Morbidity was 90%, but there was no mortality. All inoculated pigeons showed fecal excretion of Salmonella for at least 7 days. Biochemical analysis of plasma samples taken at 3-day intervals indicated decreased concentrations of creatine kinase (CK)-MM and CK-MB isoenzymes and elevated total protein and alpha- and gamma-globulin values. No consistent changes in the level of 17 other blood parameters were observed. After 28 days, all pigeons were necropsied. Gross lesions and bacteriologic and histologic examination indicated septicemia in all Salmonella-inoculated pigeons. Results indicate that Salmonella septicemia in pigeons induces only limited changes in biochemical blood parameters. Decreased CK concentration was a consistent finding, however, and may therefore be a useful aid in the diagnosis of salmonellosis in pigeons.

The effect of vaccination on the course of an experimental Salmonella typhimurium infection in racing pigeons.

Two killed adjuvanted vaccines were evaluated for their efficacy against salmonellosis in pigeons. Both vaccines contained whole-cell formaldehyde-inactivated Salmonella typhimurium var. Copenhagen bacteria. Two groups of 10 pigeons were inoculated twice with a 3-week interval with one of the vaccines. Ten weeks after the second vaccination, all vaccinated pigeons as well as 10 non-vaccinated birds were challenged by crop inoculation of 10(9) colony-forming units of a Salmonella serotype Typhimurium var. Copenhagen strain. Ten pigeons that were not vaccinated or challenged served as negative controls. As determined by clinical examination, plasma chemistry and necropsy, neither vaccine induced protection against challenge. The only significant effects observed were a reduction in the level of faecal shedding and a less severe polydipsia in the pigeons treated with one of the two vaccines. Results of this study indicate that vaccination against salmonellosis in pigeons with killed vaccines may not be very useful. However, the ability of certain vaccines to reduce shedding may contribute to the control of salmonellosis in infected pigeon lofts.

Isolation of fowl adenoviruses serotype 4 from pigeons with hepatic necrosis.

Nine homogenized livers were taken to isolate the causative agent of adenovirus type I and type II infections in pigeons. The samples were passaged up to four times on primary chicken embryo hepatocytes. Adenoviruses were isolated from all of the six type II but none of the three type I infections. Serologically the isolated adenoviruses were classified as fowl adenovirus (FAV) serotype 4. Restriction enzyme analysis of two isolates in comparison with FAV4 reference strain KR5 confirmed the serological results and classification of the pigeon isolates as FAV4 strains.

Adenovirus infections in pigeons: A review.

In the present article, a review is given on adenovirosis in pigeons. Aetiology, pathogenesis, clinical signs, lesions, diagnosis and control of two clinical types of pigeon adenovirus infections are described.