Experimental infections with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in pigs--II. Comparison of antibiotics for oral strategic treatment.

The present study was aimed at scrutinizing the efficacy of oral antimicrobial treatments at experimental challenge using a strain of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae serotype 2 known to cause severe disease. SPF pigs aged 10 weeks were infected intranasally and the antimicrobial treatments were initiated 5 h prior to that exposure. Several antimicrobial drugs, as well as the length of the treatment period, were elucidated. The outcome of the challenge was monitored by registration of clinical symptoms, weight gains and the development of serum antibodies to A. pleuropneumoniae. At necropsy, the magnitude of pathological lesions in the respiratory tract and the rate of reisolation of the infective strain were recorded. Animals that became diseased displayed a decreased growth rate caused, to a large extent, by a reduced feed intake. The performance with respect to daily weight gain and feed conversion corresponded well with the clinical signs developed and serologic reactions, as well as with the findings made at necropsy. The results obtained among pigs treated with enrofloxacin, but also with florfenicol or chlortetracycline, were superior to those of pigs treated with penicillin, tiamulin or tilmicosin. A positive effect was obtained using a strategic in-feed medication against infection with A. pleuropneumoniae. Provided that the drug used is effective against the target microbe, initiating treatment prior to infection appeared to be more important than the length of the treatment. It should, however, be remembered that A. pleuropneumoniae was reisolated from all but one medicated group following an experimental challenge given after initiating the medication. Consequently medical treatment as described did not eradicate the microbe.