Comparison of the efficacy of cloxacillin alone and cloxacillin combined with an internal teat sealant for dry-cow therapy.

All the quarters in the cows with high somatic cell counts in 10 herds were treated at drying off with either 600 mg cloxacillin or 600 mg cloxacillin and 4 g of an internal teat sealant containing 65 per cent bismuth subnitrate. The quarters were sampled daily for bacteriological tests for the three days before drying off and twice after calving to establish whether they were infected. Clinical mastitis cases were monitored from drying off until 100 days after calving. The odds of a quarter being bacteriologically negative after calving or developing clinical mastitis in the first 100 days after calving were investigated by multilevel logistic regression. The quarters treated with the internal sealant and cloxacillin were significantly more likely to be bacteriologically negative in the immediate period after calving and were significantly less likely to suffer clinical mastitis during the first 100 days after calving than the quarters treated with cloxacillin alone. There was more variation between cows than between herds in the underlying risk of an infection after calving, but there was more variation between herds than between cows in the underlying risk of clinical mastitis during the 100 days after calving.

Elimination of mange mites Sarcoptes scabiei var. suis from two naturally infested Danish sow herds using a single injection regime with doramectin.

Attempts to eliminate Sarcoptes scabiei var. suis were made in 2 naturally infested sow herds, by intramuscular (i.m.) injection of doramectin (Dectomax, Pfizer, New York, USA). A single injection strategy was used. In one of the herds, the environment was treated with an acaricide following dry cleaning of floors, walls and equipment. In the second herd, no environmental treatment was performed. Results were measured by skin lesion scoring, ear scrapings to show Sarcoptes scabiei var. suis, and calculating rubbing index throughout the observation period of 20 months following treatment. Skin lesion scores decreased and stayed low following treatment for the entire observation period. Live Sarcoptes scabiei var. suis mites were isolated prior to treatment from both herds, but not following treatment. Rubbing index decreased following treatment, but was occasionally at or above 0.4. The results of these studies indicate that elimination of Sarcoptes scabiei var. suis from 2 naturally infested herds was successful, using doramectin in a single injection strategy. Precautions must be taken to ensure adequate dosing of every pig, and to avoid reinfestation due to poor biosecurity.

Evaluation of the comparative efficacy of selamectin against flea (Ctenocephalides felis felis) infestations on dogs and cats in simulated home environments.

The comparative efficacy of monthly administration of selamectin or lufenuron against Ctenocephalides felis felis on dogs and cats was evaluated over a 5-month period in flea-infested environments. Twenty-four dogs and 32 cats were randomly allocated to receiving a topical treatment with selamectin or an oral administration of tablets containing lufenuron/milbemycin oxime (for dogs) or lufenuron only (for cats). Each product was administered in accordance with the manufacturer's label recommendations. Eight dogs and four cats served as untreated sentinels. Treatments were administered on days 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120. Each animal received an application of 100 fleas on days -28 and -21, and then weekly applications of 20 fleas from days 91 through 147. Flea comb counts were performed on day -6, and every 2 weeks after day 0. From day 29 (dogs) or day 44 (cats) to day 150, geometric mean flea counts for selamectin were < or =0.4. Mean flea counts for animals assigned to treatment with selamectin were significantly lower (P=0.0001) than for animals assigned to treatment with lufenuron at all assessments after day 0.

The effect of simulated rainfall on the efficacy of doramectin pour-on against nematode parasites of cattle.

Two studies were conducted with doramectin topically administered at 500 microg/kg body weight to assess retention of therapeutic efficacy against nematode infections of cattle before, and after, simulated rainfall. In the first study, 50 heifers, with patent nematode infections, were allocated to one of five treatment groups. An untreated control group and one doramectin-treated group were not exposed to simulated rainfall. Simulated rainfall was applied at a rate of 25.4 mm of water in 35 min to three of the five groups: one group immediately before treatment, the second group 90 min after treatment, and the third group 24 h after treatment. Fecal samples were collected for determining egg counts 14 days after treatment. Percentage efficacy ranged from 97.3% to 100% in all treated calves, regardless of exposure to simulated rainfall. The second study involved 40 mixed-sex cattle that were allocated to one of four treatment groups (one saline control and three doramectin-treated groups). All cattle were confirmed to be free of nematode infections prior to oral gavage with infective larvae of Dictyocaulus viviparus, Cooperia oncophora, and Ostertagia ostertagi. Twenty-six days after infection, three groups were treated with doramectin pour-on and exposed to 20 mm of simulated rainfall over 40 min: one group 60 min before treatment, the second 20 min after treatment, and the third 40 min after treatment. Approximately two weeks after treatment, all cattle were necropsied for worm counts. In all treated groups, the percentage efficacy against O. ostertagi and D. viviparus was >99% to 100%. Percentage efficacy against Cooperia ranged from 97% to 98%. Results indicated that doramectin pour-on remains efficacious against nematodes of cattle when administered immediately before or after rainfall.

Comparison of danofloxacin with baquiloprim/sulphadimidine for the treatment of experimentally induced Escherichia coli diarrhoea in calves.

Thirty-eight, one- to two-week-old calves with experimentally induced Escherichia coli diarrhoea were randomly assigned to three treatment groups. Two groups of 15 calves were treated intramuscularly once daily for three days with either danofloxacin mesylate at 1.25 mg/kg bodyweight, or with baquiloprim/sulphadimidine as a positive control (10 mg of combined active ingredient/kg); eight calves were treated with 0.9 per cent sodium chloride solution as a negative control (1 ml/20 kg). Faecal consistency, demeanour, hydration status, appetite and bodyweight were monitored before, during, and for four days after treatment by an investigator unaware of the animals' treatment. Before treatment, the clinical, biochemical, and faecal indices were similar among the groups. By 24 hours after treatment began, the proportion of observations of faeces recorded as of normal consistency was highest in the danofloxacin-treated group (26 of 60), compared with 16 of 60 in the baquiloprim/sulphadimidine treated groups and four of 32 in the control group. The proportion of calves with a normal demeanour was highest in the danofloxacin-treated group at all the evaluations and these calves gained significantly (P < 0.05) more weight (1.6 [0.27] kg) than the calves treated with baquiloprim/sulphadimidine (0.67 [0.36] kg). The calves in the danofloxacin-treated group maintained relatively normal blood pH values, whereas the calves in the control group became progressively acidotic. By the end of treatment, the mean bicarbonate concentration was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the danofloxacin-treated calves than in the control group. The pH of the calves in the baquiloprim/sulphadimidine-treated group changed little during treatment, but by three days after the last treatment their mean pH had dropped to the level of the calves in the control group. The mean bicarbonate concentration of the baquiloprim/sulphadimidine-treated calves, like that of the danofloxacin-treated calves, was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that of the calves in the control group.

Influence of dietary background on the response of pigs to the beta-adrenergic agonist BRL 47672.

The level of protein in the diet both before and during treatment with beta-adrenergic agonist (BAA) was investigated with regard to its effect on growth performance and carcass characteristics of pigs. A total of 76 pigs were divided into two groups and given ad libitum access to diets containing either 12 or 18% crude protein (CP) during growth from 15 to 60 kg. At 60 kg, six pigs from each group were slaughtered and carcass composition was determined. For the test period (growth from 60 to 90 kg) the remainder of the pigs were divided into eight groups of eight pigs each. Half of the pigs from each of the two dietary pretreatment groups were switched to the other diet and half remained on the same diet. Of the four dietary groups, half were fed 0 mg/kg (controls) or 1 mg/kg of BRL 47672. During the test period, all pigs were fed at 90% of their calculated ad libitum DE intake. All pigs were slaughtered at 90 kg and carcass composition was determined. Addition of BRL 47672 to the diet resulted in an overall improvement (P < .05) in daily gain (.72 vs .64 kg) and gain/feed (.28 vs .26); the greatest improvement occurred with pigs fed the 18% CP diet (24 and 14% for daily gain and gain/feed, respectively). Pigs that had received BRL 47672 also had 12% less backfat, 10% less carcass lipid, 16% larger longissimus muscle area, and 5% more carcass protein (P < .05 for each), and the greatest changes occurred in pigs fed the 18% CP diet (-26, -16, +21, and +10%, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

An evaluation of apramycin soluble powder for the treatment of naturally acquired Escherichia coli infections in broilers.

During 1983, a series of trials was carried out in Greece, Italy and Jordan, to test the efficacy of the aminocyclitol antibiotic apramycin as a treatment for naturally acquired Escherichia coli infections in broilers. The trials involved a total of 40,389 broilers, 27-39 days of age, in twelve houses at eight different production sites. Three levels of apramycin medication were evaluated: 125, 250 and 500 mg activity/litre drinking water, administered for five consecutive days. Treatment was only initiated after disease had been confirmed by laboratory examination of dead birds. Not all treatments were evaluated in every house. However, each house contained a group of unmedicated birds as controls, while the remaining birds were allocated to one or more apramycin treatment groups. There was a reduction in mortality and an improvement in the final weight and the economic feed conversion ratio in all three treatment groups. The data presented provide support for the use of apramycin sulphate administered in the drinking water for the treatment of E. coli infections in broilers.

Protection of cattle against foot-and-mouth disease by a synthetic peptide.

A chemically synthesized peptide consisting essentially of two separate regions (residues 141 to 158 and 200 to 213) of a virus coat protein (VP1) from the O1 Kaufbeuren strain of foot-and-mouth disease virus was prepared free of any carrier protein. It elicited high levels of neutralizing antibody and protected cattle against intradermolingual challenge by inoculation with infectious virus. Comparative evaluation of this peptide with a single-site peptide (residues 141 to 158) in guinea pigs suggests the importance of the VP1 carboxyl terminal residues in enhancing the protective response.