- Email: [email protected]
Efficacy of florfenicol injection in the treatment of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae induced respiratory disease in pigs
The Veterinary Journal 194 (2012) 420–422
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
The Veterinary Journal journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tvjl
Short Communication
Efficacy of florfenicol injection in the treatment of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae induced respiratory disease in pigs R. Del Pozo Sacristán a,⇑, J. Thiry b, K. Vranckx c, A. López Rodríguez a, K. Chiers c, F. Haesebrouck c, E. Thomas d, D. Maes a a
Department of Reproduction Obstetrics and Herd Health, Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium Intervet Pharma R&D, known as MSD Animal Health, F-49071 Beaucouzé, France Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium d Intervet Innovation GmbH, known as MSD Animal Health, D-55270 Schwabenheim, Germany b c
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history: Accepted 11 April 2012
Keywords: Pigs Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae Florfenicol Treatment
a b s t r a c t This study investigated the efficacy of a single intramuscular injection of a new formulation of florfenicol to treat clinical respiratory disease following experimental Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infection. M. hyopneumoniae-free piglets were allocated to three groups, namely, a treatment group (TG) and a positive control group (PCG), which were both inoculated endotracheally with a highly virulent isolate of M. hyopneumoniae, and a negative control group. At the onset of clinical disease, the TG received a single injection of florfenicol (30 mg/kg). All pigs were euthanased 4 weeks post-infection. Clinical symptoms were significantly reduced in the TG in comparison with the PCG. Average daily gain, feed conversion ratio, mortality and lung lesions were improved in the TG compared to the PCG, but the differences were not statistically significant. Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae plays a primary role in enzootic pneumonia, a chronic respiratory disease that occurs worldwide and causes major economic losses to the pig industry. It is also one of the most important agents involved in the porcine respiratory disease complex, together with other bacterial and viral infections. M. hyopneumoniae infections lead to reduced performance, increased antimicrobial use and extra costs for control measures such as vaccination (Maes et al., 2008). Control of M. hyopneumoniae infections should be based primarily on optimizing housing and management practices and with the appropriate use of vaccination, but clinical outbreaks of M. hyopneumoniae may still occur (Maes et al., 2008). Antimicrobial agents may be warranted and even necessary to treat and/or control M. hyopneumoniae infections but must be used judiciously and with minimal strategic or preventive use over long periods. Compared to vaccination, antibiotics can be administered more quickly and flexibly and may also act against a range of bacterial respiratory pathogens. The most frequently used antimicrobials against M. hyopneumoniae are tetracyclines, pleuromutilins, fluoroquinolones and macrolides. Florfenicol is a bacteriostatic antibiotic widely used in farm animal species, including pigs, and inhibits microbial protein synthesis by abolishing the activity of the bacterial enzyme peptidyl transferase. Florfenicol has shown bactericidal activity ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +32 9 264 7531. E-mail address: [email protected] (R. Del Pozo Sacristán). 1090-0233/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2012.04.015
against major swine respiratory pathogens (Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Pasteurella multocida and Haemophilus parasuis) and is active against many Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including aerobes, anaerobes, rickettsia, chlamydia and mycoplasmas (Shin et al., 2005). In this study we examined the efficacy of a new florfenicol formulation to treat pigs by means of a single intramuscular injection against experimental M. hyopneumoniae infection. The effective use of a single injection at onset of disease could significantly reduce the long-term use of antimicrobials in pig herds. Forty-nine, 3-week-old, cross-bred piglets were purchased from a herd free of M. hyopneumoniae and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). After weaning (at 3 weeks of age, day -7), they were transported to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Ghent University, randomly allocated to one of three groups, and housed in three different experimental rooms equipped with absolute filters to avoid possible transmission of infection. All pigs received ad libitum a commercial, antibiotic-free feed. On day 0 (D0), pigs in the treatment group (TG) (n = 22) and the positive control group (PCG) (n = 22) were inoculated endotracheally with 7 mL inoculum containing 107 colour-changingunits/mL of the highly virulent M. hyopneumoniae F7.2C strain (Vicca et al., 2003). Pigs in the negative control group (NCG) (n = 5) were inoculated with 7 mL of sterile culture medium. For inoculation, the piglets were anaesthetised with 0.22 mL/kg of a mixture of xylazine (Xyl-M 2%, VMD) and zolazepam (Zoletil 100,
421
R. Del Pozo Sacristán et al. / The Veterinary Journal 194 (2012) 420–422
Table 1 Clinical, pathological, performance, infection and serological parameters (means ± SD) in pigs challenged endotracheally with a virulent strain of M. hyopneumoniae at Day 0 and injected IM with either florfenicol (TG) or physiological saline solution (PCG) at D14, and necropsied at D28.
43 42.5 42
Average rectal temperature (°C)
41.5 41 40.5 40 39.5 39 38.5 38 37.5
Non treatment (PCG) Treatment group (TG)
37
Negative control (NCG)
36.5 36
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Study day Fig. 1. Change in mean rectal temperature over time, in each of three groups of pigs. Average rectal temperature (°C) from Day 0 until D28 in the treatment group (TG = 39.80 ± 0.30 °C), the positive control group (PCG = 39.86 ± 0.24 °C) and the negative control group (NCG = 39.48 ± 0.14 °C). Pigs were challenged endotracheally with a virulent strain of M. hyopneumoniae at D0, injected with florfenicol (TG) or physiological saline solution (PCG) at D14, and necropsied at D28.
Respiratory disease score (RDS) 2.5
Non treatment (PCG) 2
Treatment group (TG)
Average RDS
Negative control (NCG)
1.5
1
0.5
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Study day Fig. 2. Change in mean respiratory disease score over time, in each of three groups of pigs. Average RDS from D0 until D28 in the treatment group (TG), the positive control group (PCG) and the negative control group (NCG). Pigs were challenged endotracheally with a virulent strain of M. hyopneumoniae at D0, injected with florfenicol (TG) or physiological saline solution (PCG) at D14 and necropsied at D28.
Virbac) IM. Treatment was applied when at least 10% of the animals over the two infected groups showed coughing (D14). Animals were injected IM once with the test florfenicol formulation (Nuflor Swine Once, MSD Animal Health) containing 450 mg/mL florfenicol (TG) or with physiological saline solution (PCG and NCG) at a dose of 1 mL/15 kg bodyweight. All pigs were euthanased on D28. Rectal temperature and severity of coughing were recorded daily for each piglet. The severity of coughing was assessed using a respiratory disease score (RDS) (Halbur et al., 1996). Individual bodyweights and feed intake were measured on D0, D14 and D28 in order to evaluate average daily weight gain (ADG) and feed
Rectal temperature (°C) RDS D0 to D28 RDS D14 to D28 ADG D0 to D28 (g/day) ADG D14 to D28 (g/day) FCR Mortality rate (%) Macroscopic LLS Microscopic LLS Percentage air analysis Immunofluorescence qPCR % of pigs serologically positive for M. hyopneumoniae at D28
Treated group n = 20
Positive control group n = 20
P value
39.80 ± 0.30 8.69 ± 7.90 8.72 ± 7.94 220 ± 88 341 ± 120 1.69 0.00 4.51 ± 3.87 3.85 ± 0.65 21.94 ± 6.28 0.92 ± 0.73 8.2E ± 1.8E 14.3%
39.86 ± 0.24 17.16 ± 12.35 17.10 ± 12.26 212 ± 94 275 ± 127 2.03 10.00 5.94 ± 3.47 3.72 ± 0.67 22.20 ± 5.31 0.95 ± 0.65 5.5E ± 8.4E 26.3%
0.503 0.024 0.015 0.768 0.100 – 0.232 0.232 0.540 0.892 0.892 0.952 0.290
Rectal temperatures were averaged from D0 to D28. RDS, average respiratory disease score; ADG, average daily weight gain; FCR, feed conversion ratio (with no statistical analysis as FCR was calculated at pen level with only one observation); LLS, lung lesion score; Microscopic LLS, peribronchiolar and perivascular lymphohystiocytic infiltration and nodule formation; qPCR, quantitative PCR (number of M. hyopneumoniae organisms).
conversion ratio (FCR). Mortality was recorded during the whole experiment. After euthanasia, post-mortem parameters were studied. Mycoplasma-like macroscopic lung lesions were quantified using a lung lesion score (Hannan et al., 1982). Two lung tissue samples per lobe (apical, cardiac and diaphragmatic) were collected for histopathology (percentage of tissue occupied by air; severity of peribronchiolar and perivascular lymphohystiocytic infiltration and nodule formation) (Morris et al., 1995) and immunofluorescence (Kobisch et al., 1978). Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed and the fluid recovered was divided into two aliquots. The first aliquot was used for the detection of M. hyopneumoniae-organisms by nested PCR (nPCR) (Stark et al., 1998) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) (Marois et al., 2010). The second aliquot was used for bacteriological culture to detect the presence of live M. hyopneumoniae and other respiratory pathogens (Quinn et al., 1994). Blood samples were collected (D0 and D28) and analysed to detect serum antibodies against M. hyopneumoniae and PRRSV. Post-mortem lung lesion score was the primary efficacy criterion. Parameters with continuous variables were analysed using a one-way ANOVA, categorical variables were analysed using chi-square tests. Rectal temperatures and RDS scores for each group are shown in Figs. 1 and 2, respectively. Results of clinical, performance, pathological, pathogen recovery and serological parameters in TG and PCG are shown in Table 1. All BAL fluid samples from pigs in the infected groups were positive by nPCR indicating that the challenge infection was successful and also that treatment with florfenicol did not eliminate M. hyopneumoniae from the lungs. However, M. hyopneumoniae could not be isolated because of overgrowth of the culture plates of other bacterial species, particularly Bordetella bronchiseptica, Haemophilus parasuis and Streptococcus suis, which were all isolated in high numbers. All animals were serologically negative for PRRSV (D28). IM florfenicol significantly decreased the RDS, especially 2 days post-treatment although it increased again 4 days later. At necropsy, no effect of treatment on macroscopic and histopathological lung lesions was found (P > 0.2). No significant effect of treatment on either ADG or FCR was recorded (P > 0.1). The findings suggest that a single IM injection of florfenicol was effective against M. hyopneumoniae for a period of approximately 4 days and
422
R. Del Pozo Sacristán et al. / The Veterinary Journal 194 (2012) 420–422
reduced clinical respiratory symptoms in pigs experimentally infected with a highly virulent M. hyopneumoniae strain. However optimized housing and management practices should still be key in the control of M. hyopneumoniae infections. Conflict of interest statement The study was funded by MSD Animal Health, manufacturer of the antimicrobial used in this study. J. Thiry and E. Thomas are employees of MSD Animal Health. Acknowledgements This research was financially supported by MSD Animal Health. The authors thank Hanne Vereecke for technical assistance in the laboratory work and Eva Zschiesche for the statistical analyses. References Halbur, P., Paul, P., Meng, X., Lum, M., Andrews, J., Rathje, J., 1996. Comparative pathogenicity of nine US porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) isolates in a five-week-old caesarean-derived, colostrum-deprived pig model. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 8, 11–20.
Hannan, P., Bhogal, B., Fish, J., 1982. Tylosin tartrate and tiamutilin effects on experimental piglet pneumonia induced with pneumonic pig lung homogenate containing mycoplasmas, bacteria and viruses. Research in Veterinary Science 33, 76–88. Kobisch, M., Tillon, J.P., Vannier, P., Magueur, S., Morvan, P., 1978. Pneumonie enzootique à Mycoplasma suipneumoniae chez le porc: diagnostic rapide et recherche d’anticorps. Récueil de Médecine Vétérinaire 154, 847–852. Maes, D., Segalés, J., Meyns, T., Sibila, M., Pieters, M., Haesebrouck, F., 2008. Control of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infections in pigs. Veterinary Microbiology 126, 297–309. Marois, C., Dory, D., Fablet, C., Madec, F., Kobisch, M., 2010. Development of a quantitative Real-Time TaqMan PCR assay for determination of the minimal dose of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae strain 116 required to induce pneumonia in SPF pigs. Journal of Applied Microbiology 108, 1523–1533. Morris, C., Gardner, I., Hietala, S., Carpenter, T., Anderson, R., Parker, K., 1995. Seroepidemiologic study of natural transmission of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in a swine herd. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 21, 323–337. Quinn, P.J., Carter, M., Markey, B., Carter, G., 1994. Clinical Veterinary Microbiology. Mosby, Edinburgh, UK, pp. 254–259. Shin, S.J., Kang, S.G., Nabin, R., Kang, M.L., Yoo, H.S., 2005. Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of florfenicol against bacteria isolated from bovine and porcine respiratory disease. Veterinary Microbiology 106, 73–77. Stark, K.D., Nicolet, J., Frey, J., 1998. Detection of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae by air sampling with a nested PCR assay. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 64, 543–548. Vicca, J., Stakenborg, T., Maes, D., Butaye, P., Peeters, J., de Kruif, A., Haesebrouck, F., 2003. Evaluation of virulence of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae field isolates. Veterinary Microbiology 97, 177–190.
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
The Veterinary Journal journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tvjl
Short Communication
Efficacy of florfenicol injection in the treatment of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae induced respiratory disease in pigs R. Del Pozo Sacristán a,⇑, J. Thiry b, K. Vranckx c, A. López Rodríguez a, K. Chiers c, F. Haesebrouck c, E. Thomas d, D. Maes a a
Department of Reproduction Obstetrics and Herd Health, Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium Intervet Pharma R&D, known as MSD Animal Health, F-49071 Beaucouzé, France Department of Pathology, Bacteriology and Avian Diseases, Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium d Intervet Innovation GmbH, known as MSD Animal Health, D-55270 Schwabenheim, Germany b c
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history: Accepted 11 April 2012
Keywords: Pigs Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae Florfenicol Treatment
a b s t r a c t This study investigated the efficacy of a single intramuscular injection of a new formulation of florfenicol to treat clinical respiratory disease following experimental Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infection. M. hyopneumoniae-free piglets were allocated to three groups, namely, a treatment group (TG) and a positive control group (PCG), which were both inoculated endotracheally with a highly virulent isolate of M. hyopneumoniae, and a negative control group. At the onset of clinical disease, the TG received a single injection of florfenicol (30 mg/kg). All pigs were euthanased 4 weeks post-infection. Clinical symptoms were significantly reduced in the TG in comparison with the PCG. Average daily gain, feed conversion ratio, mortality and lung lesions were improved in the TG compared to the PCG, but the differences were not statistically significant. Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae plays a primary role in enzootic pneumonia, a chronic respiratory disease that occurs worldwide and causes major economic losses to the pig industry. It is also one of the most important agents involved in the porcine respiratory disease complex, together with other bacterial and viral infections. M. hyopneumoniae infections lead to reduced performance, increased antimicrobial use and extra costs for control measures such as vaccination (Maes et al., 2008). Control of M. hyopneumoniae infections should be based primarily on optimizing housing and management practices and with the appropriate use of vaccination, but clinical outbreaks of M. hyopneumoniae may still occur (Maes et al., 2008). Antimicrobial agents may be warranted and even necessary to treat and/or control M. hyopneumoniae infections but must be used judiciously and with minimal strategic or preventive use over long periods. Compared to vaccination, antibiotics can be administered more quickly and flexibly and may also act against a range of bacterial respiratory pathogens. The most frequently used antimicrobials against M. hyopneumoniae are tetracyclines, pleuromutilins, fluoroquinolones and macrolides. Florfenicol is a bacteriostatic antibiotic widely used in farm animal species, including pigs, and inhibits microbial protein synthesis by abolishing the activity of the bacterial enzyme peptidyl transferase. Florfenicol has shown bactericidal activity ⇑ Corresponding author. Tel.: +32 9 264 7531. E-mail address: [email protected] (R. Del Pozo Sacristán). 1090-0233/$ - see front matter Ó 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tvjl.2012.04.015
against major swine respiratory pathogens (Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, Pasteurella multocida and Haemophilus parasuis) and is active against many Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including aerobes, anaerobes, rickettsia, chlamydia and mycoplasmas (Shin et al., 2005). In this study we examined the efficacy of a new florfenicol formulation to treat pigs by means of a single intramuscular injection against experimental M. hyopneumoniae infection. The effective use of a single injection at onset of disease could significantly reduce the long-term use of antimicrobials in pig herds. Forty-nine, 3-week-old, cross-bred piglets were purchased from a herd free of M. hyopneumoniae and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). After weaning (at 3 weeks of age, day -7), they were transported to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Ghent University, randomly allocated to one of three groups, and housed in three different experimental rooms equipped with absolute filters to avoid possible transmission of infection. All pigs received ad libitum a commercial, antibiotic-free feed. On day 0 (D0), pigs in the treatment group (TG) (n = 22) and the positive control group (PCG) (n = 22) were inoculated endotracheally with 7 mL inoculum containing 107 colour-changingunits/mL of the highly virulent M. hyopneumoniae F7.2C strain (Vicca et al., 2003). Pigs in the negative control group (NCG) (n = 5) were inoculated with 7 mL of sterile culture medium. For inoculation, the piglets were anaesthetised with 0.22 mL/kg of a mixture of xylazine (Xyl-M 2%, VMD) and zolazepam (Zoletil 100,
421
R. Del Pozo Sacristán et al. / The Veterinary Journal 194 (2012) 420–422
Table 1 Clinical, pathological, performance, infection and serological parameters (means ± SD) in pigs challenged endotracheally with a virulent strain of M. hyopneumoniae at Day 0 and injected IM with either florfenicol (TG) or physiological saline solution (PCG) at D14, and necropsied at D28.
43 42.5 42
Average rectal temperature (°C)
41.5 41 40.5 40 39.5 39 38.5 38 37.5
Non treatment (PCG) Treatment group (TG)
37
Negative control (NCG)
36.5 36
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Study day Fig. 1. Change in mean rectal temperature over time, in each of three groups of pigs. Average rectal temperature (°C) from Day 0 until D28 in the treatment group (TG = 39.80 ± 0.30 °C), the positive control group (PCG = 39.86 ± 0.24 °C) and the negative control group (NCG = 39.48 ± 0.14 °C). Pigs were challenged endotracheally with a virulent strain of M. hyopneumoniae at D0, injected with florfenicol (TG) or physiological saline solution (PCG) at D14, and necropsied at D28.
Respiratory disease score (RDS) 2.5
Non treatment (PCG) 2
Treatment group (TG)
Average RDS
Negative control (NCG)
1.5
1
0.5
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
Study day Fig. 2. Change in mean respiratory disease score over time, in each of three groups of pigs. Average RDS from D0 until D28 in the treatment group (TG), the positive control group (PCG) and the negative control group (NCG). Pigs were challenged endotracheally with a virulent strain of M. hyopneumoniae at D0, injected with florfenicol (TG) or physiological saline solution (PCG) at D14 and necropsied at D28.
Virbac) IM. Treatment was applied when at least 10% of the animals over the two infected groups showed coughing (D14). Animals were injected IM once with the test florfenicol formulation (Nuflor Swine Once, MSD Animal Health) containing 450 mg/mL florfenicol (TG) or with physiological saline solution (PCG and NCG) at a dose of 1 mL/15 kg bodyweight. All pigs were euthanased on D28. Rectal temperature and severity of coughing were recorded daily for each piglet. The severity of coughing was assessed using a respiratory disease score (RDS) (Halbur et al., 1996). Individual bodyweights and feed intake were measured on D0, D14 and D28 in order to evaluate average daily weight gain (ADG) and feed
Rectal temperature (°C) RDS D0 to D28 RDS D14 to D28 ADG D0 to D28 (g/day) ADG D14 to D28 (g/day) FCR Mortality rate (%) Macroscopic LLS Microscopic LLS Percentage air analysis Immunofluorescence qPCR % of pigs serologically positive for M. hyopneumoniae at D28
Treated group n = 20
Positive control group n = 20
P value
39.80 ± 0.30 8.69 ± 7.90 8.72 ± 7.94 220 ± 88 341 ± 120 1.69 0.00 4.51 ± 3.87 3.85 ± 0.65 21.94 ± 6.28 0.92 ± 0.73 8.2E ± 1.8E 14.3%
39.86 ± 0.24 17.16 ± 12.35 17.10 ± 12.26 212 ± 94 275 ± 127 2.03 10.00 5.94 ± 3.47 3.72 ± 0.67 22.20 ± 5.31 0.95 ± 0.65 5.5E ± 8.4E 26.3%
0.503 0.024 0.015 0.768 0.100 – 0.232 0.232 0.540 0.892 0.892 0.952 0.290
Rectal temperatures were averaged from D0 to D28. RDS, average respiratory disease score; ADG, average daily weight gain; FCR, feed conversion ratio (with no statistical analysis as FCR was calculated at pen level with only one observation); LLS, lung lesion score; Microscopic LLS, peribronchiolar and perivascular lymphohystiocytic infiltration and nodule formation; qPCR, quantitative PCR (number of M. hyopneumoniae organisms).
conversion ratio (FCR). Mortality was recorded during the whole experiment. After euthanasia, post-mortem parameters were studied. Mycoplasma-like macroscopic lung lesions were quantified using a lung lesion score (Hannan et al., 1982). Two lung tissue samples per lobe (apical, cardiac and diaphragmatic) were collected for histopathology (percentage of tissue occupied by air; severity of peribronchiolar and perivascular lymphohystiocytic infiltration and nodule formation) (Morris et al., 1995) and immunofluorescence (Kobisch et al., 1978). Bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) was performed and the fluid recovered was divided into two aliquots. The first aliquot was used for the detection of M. hyopneumoniae-organisms by nested PCR (nPCR) (Stark et al., 1998) and quantitative PCR (qPCR) (Marois et al., 2010). The second aliquot was used for bacteriological culture to detect the presence of live M. hyopneumoniae and other respiratory pathogens (Quinn et al., 1994). Blood samples were collected (D0 and D28) and analysed to detect serum antibodies against M. hyopneumoniae and PRRSV. Post-mortem lung lesion score was the primary efficacy criterion. Parameters with continuous variables were analysed using a one-way ANOVA, categorical variables were analysed using chi-square tests. Rectal temperatures and RDS scores for each group are shown in Figs. 1 and 2, respectively. Results of clinical, performance, pathological, pathogen recovery and serological parameters in TG and PCG are shown in Table 1. All BAL fluid samples from pigs in the infected groups were positive by nPCR indicating that the challenge infection was successful and also that treatment with florfenicol did not eliminate M. hyopneumoniae from the lungs. However, M. hyopneumoniae could not be isolated because of overgrowth of the culture plates of other bacterial species, particularly Bordetella bronchiseptica, Haemophilus parasuis and Streptococcus suis, which were all isolated in high numbers. All animals were serologically negative for PRRSV (D28). IM florfenicol significantly decreased the RDS, especially 2 days post-treatment although it increased again 4 days later. At necropsy, no effect of treatment on macroscopic and histopathological lung lesions was found (P > 0.2). No significant effect of treatment on either ADG or FCR was recorded (P > 0.1). The findings suggest that a single IM injection of florfenicol was effective against M. hyopneumoniae for a period of approximately 4 days and
422
R. Del Pozo Sacristán et al. / The Veterinary Journal 194 (2012) 420–422
reduced clinical respiratory symptoms in pigs experimentally infected with a highly virulent M. hyopneumoniae strain. However optimized housing and management practices should still be key in the control of M. hyopneumoniae infections. Conflict of interest statement The study was funded by MSD Animal Health, manufacturer of the antimicrobial used in this study. J. Thiry and E. Thomas are employees of MSD Animal Health. Acknowledgements This research was financially supported by MSD Animal Health. The authors thank Hanne Vereecke for technical assistance in the laboratory work and Eva Zschiesche for the statistical analyses. References Halbur, P., Paul, P., Meng, X., Lum, M., Andrews, J., Rathje, J., 1996. Comparative pathogenicity of nine US porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) isolates in a five-week-old caesarean-derived, colostrum-deprived pig model. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 8, 11–20.
Hannan, P., Bhogal, B., Fish, J., 1982. Tylosin tartrate and tiamutilin effects on experimental piglet pneumonia induced with pneumonic pig lung homogenate containing mycoplasmas, bacteria and viruses. Research in Veterinary Science 33, 76–88. Kobisch, M., Tillon, J.P., Vannier, P., Magueur, S., Morvan, P., 1978. Pneumonie enzootique à Mycoplasma suipneumoniae chez le porc: diagnostic rapide et recherche d’anticorps. Récueil de Médecine Vétérinaire 154, 847–852. Maes, D., Segalés, J., Meyns, T., Sibila, M., Pieters, M., Haesebrouck, F., 2008. Control of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae infections in pigs. Veterinary Microbiology 126, 297–309. Marois, C., Dory, D., Fablet, C., Madec, F., Kobisch, M., 2010. Development of a quantitative Real-Time TaqMan PCR assay for determination of the minimal dose of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae strain 116 required to induce pneumonia in SPF pigs. Journal of Applied Microbiology 108, 1523–1533. Morris, C., Gardner, I., Hietala, S., Carpenter, T., Anderson, R., Parker, K., 1995. Seroepidemiologic study of natural transmission of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae in a swine herd. Preventive Veterinary Medicine 21, 323–337. Quinn, P.J., Carter, M., Markey, B., Carter, G., 1994. Clinical Veterinary Microbiology. Mosby, Edinburgh, UK, pp. 254–259. Shin, S.J., Kang, S.G., Nabin, R., Kang, M.L., Yoo, H.S., 2005. Evaluation of the antimicrobial activity of florfenicol against bacteria isolated from bovine and porcine respiratory disease. Veterinary Microbiology 106, 73–77. Stark, K.D., Nicolet, J., Frey, J., 1998. Detection of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae by air sampling with a nested PCR assay. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 64, 543–548. Vicca, J., Stakenborg, T., Maes, D., Butaye, P., Peeters, J., de Kruif, A., Haesebrouck, F., 2003. Evaluation of virulence of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae field isolates. Veterinary Microbiology 97, 177–190.