Clinical efficacy of florfenicol in the treatment of calf respiratory tract infections

Abstract

This paper reports on a study of the aetiology of calf pneumonia and the clinical efficacy of florfenicol, a new antibiotic in Turkey. Twenty-seven weaned and unweaned calves (13 males and 14 females) between 1 and 16 months of age brought to the clinics of Selçuk University, Faculty of Veterinary Science. Broncho-alveolar lavage (BAL) fluid samples were taken from the animals diagnosed to have upper respiratory tract infection associated with bronchitis (N=2), bronchitis (N=5), bronchopneumonia (N=4), pneumonia (N=3), pleuropneumonia (N=11), bronchopneumonia plus pulmonary oedema (N=2) based on the results of the clinical and laboratory examinations. Then microbiological isolation and antibiotic culturing were performed. The animals were treated with 1 ml/15 kg (20 mg/kg) florfenicol (Nuflor, DIF) twice within 48 hours via intramuscular injection. At the end of the treatment, 23 of the weaned and unweaned calves were completely healed, 1 calf had died and 3 calves showed no healing. The results of BAL samples and microbiological examinations of the 3 calves that did not respond to the treatment indicated that these cases were affected by mixed infections of yeasts, fungi, and bacteria. Widespread pleuropneumonia was observed. According to the results of the microbiological examination of the BAL samples, Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica had the highest isolation rate (25%) compared with the other isolated bacteria, namely, Klebsiella pneumonia (20%), Actinomyces pyogenes (15%), beta-hemolytic streptococci. (10%), Staphylococcus spp. (5%), and E. coli (5%). The study also revealed fungi [Penicillum spp. (5%) and Aspergillus spp. (5%)] and two calves (10%) had a yeast infection.. We conclude that florfenicol has a high bacteriological and clinical efficacy (100% and 96% respectively) in the treatment of calf respiratory tract diseases.