Efficacy of a one-shot marbofloxacin treatment on acute pleuropneumonia after experimental aerosol inoculation of nursery pigs.

BACKGROUND: Porcine pleuropneumonia, caused by Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, is a bacterial respiratory disease of swine. Acute outbreaks of the disease are often accompanied by high mortality and economic losses. As severe cases of the disease frequently require parenteral antibiotic treatment of the animals, the efficacy of a single, high dose of marbofloxacin was compared to a three-time application of a dose of enrofloxacin under experimental conditions. METHODS: A blinded, controlled, randomized and blocked dose confirmation study was conducted to test the efficacy and safety of a single dose of 8 mg/kg marbofloxacin (160 mg/ml, Forcyl® Swine, Vetoquinol SA, France) to treat acute porcine pleuropneumonia after experimental aerosol inoculation of pigs with A. pleuropneumoniae serotype 2. The results were compared to a three consecutive day treatment of 2.5 mg/kg enrofloxacin and a mock (saline) treatment. Criteria for the assessment of efficacy were severity of lung lesions, bacteriological cure and the course of clinical disease after treatment. RESULTS: Thirty six nursery pigs were divided into three treatment groups: marbofloxacin (T1), enrofloxacin (T2) and mock (T3). Statistically significant superiority (p < 0.05) of marbofloxacin and enrofloxacin compared to the mock-treated group was demonstrated for all efficacy criteria. The need of rescue euthanasia due to severity of symptoms was significantly reduced in both treatment groups (T1: 1 pig; T2: 0 pigs; vs. T3: 8 pigs). On day 6 after treatment initiation, clinical cure was observed in 10 (T1), 10 (T2) but only 1 of the piglets in T3. Extent of lung lesions (mean of lung lesion score T1: 3.9, T2: 6.0, T3: 21.1) and bacteriological isolation from lung tissue (on day 6 after treatment initiation: T1 = 0 pigs; T2 = 1 pig; T3 = all pigs) were also significantly reduced within both treatment groups. There were no adverse events linked to the drug administration and no injection site reactions were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Both applied antimicrobial treatments were proven safe and efficacious for the treatment of acute porcine pleuropneumonia. No statistically significant differences were detected between the antibiotic treatments.

Enhancing the enantioselectivity of an epoxide hydrolase by directed evolution.

[reaction: see text] The epoxide hydrolase (EH) from Aspergillus niger, which shows a selectivity factor of only E = 4.6 in the hydrolytic kinetic resolution of glycidyl phenyl ether, has been subjected to directed evolution for the purpose of enhancing enantioselectivity. After only one round of error-prone polymerase chain reaction (epPCR), enantioselectivity was more than doubled (E = 10.8). The improved mutant enzyme contains three amino acid exchanges, two of which are spatially far from the catalytically active center.

Botulinum toxin type A injection in the treatment of lichen simplex: an open pilot study.

Recalcitrant pruritus is a hallmark of lichen simplex, a localized variant of atopic dermatitis. Acetylcholine has been demonstrated to mediate pruritus in atopic dermatitis. This open pilot study was done to determine the therapeutic effect of blocking acetylcholine release with botulinum toxin A in highly pruritic lichen simplex. Botulinum toxin A (Dysport) was injected intradermally into 5 circumscribed lichenoid lesions in 3 patients suffering from recalcitrant pruritus. No corticosteroids or any other specific topical therapy was administered. Pruritus subsided within 3 to 7 days in all 3 patients. Within 2 to 4 weeks all lesions cleared completely. No recurrences were noted over a 4-month follow-up. In one patient lichen simplex developed on the contralateral shin, which responded equally to a subsequent injection. We concluded that lichen simplex-associated pruritus can be overcome by intradermal botulinum toxin A injection. Acetylcholine appears to be a dominant pruritic mediator in this condition.