Probable elimination of swine dysentery after feeding ronidazole, carbadox or lincomycin and verification by feeding sodium arsanilate.

Swine dysentery did not recur during a nine week period after withdrawal of medication in swine fed ronidazole at a level of 60 parts per million of feed for ten weeks or fed either carbadox at 55 ppm or lincomycin at 110 ppm of feed for six weeks. During this period swine dysentery was neither transmitted to accompanying sentinels after the withdrawal of the above medication or was Treponema hyodysenteriae isolated and cultured or observed in stained smears from rectal swabs and feces or from colonic scrapings at necropsy. Beginning three weeks after the withdrawal of medication, all swine were fed sodium arsanilate at a concentration of 220 ppm of feed for three weeks in an attempt to excite the carrier of swine dysentery into developing a swine dysentery diarrhea. A swine dysentery diarrhea did recur during the feeding of sodium arsanilate in swine previously fed ronidazole at a level of 60 ppm of feed for only six weeks. It was concluded: that swine dysentery was probably eliminated with the feeding of ronidazole for the longer duration and with the feeding of carbadox and lincomycin and that sodium arsanilate was of value in identifying the carrier state.     

Detectability and prevalence of Brachyspira species in herds rearing health class feeder pigs in Finland

Faeces samples were taken three times at two-week intervals, from the farrowing units of four herds of known Brachyspira (formerly Serpulina) status and one of unknown Brachyspira status. Brachyspira hyodysenteriae, Brachyspira pilosicoli, Brachyspira intermedia and Brachyspira group III were isolated from the faecal samples from the weaners in the herds using either a maximum of 50 ppm of olaquindox or no feed additives. The detection rates were relatively consistent. However, B hyodysenteriae was not detected at one sampling in a known positive herd. The prevalence of Brachyspira species was also studied in feeder pigs originating from LSO 2000 health class farrowing units, comparable with specific pathogen-free herds. These farms were free from swine dysentery, sarcoptic mange, swine enzootic pneumonia and progressive atrophic rhinitis. Fifty of 428 herds were sampled once. B hyodysenteriae was not isolated from any of them, but B intermedia, B pilosicoli and Brachyspira group III were isolated from five, 14 and 37 of the herds, respectively. The detection of Brachyspira species did not relate to the prevalence of diarrhoea in the herds, as judged by the farmers. The herds using carbadox (40 to 50 ppm) had a lower prevalence of Brachyspira species than those using olaquindox (40 to 50 ppm).     

Comparative study of the effect of the effect of carbadox, olaquindox and cyadox on aldosterone, sodium and potassium plasma levels in weaned pigs

To study the effects of olaquindox and cyadox on aldosterone, sodium and potassium in the blood in comparison with the effects of carbadox, weaned pigs were fed these compounds in different doses. Pigs treated with 100 and 200 ppm carbadox showed a significant decline of aldosterone after five and three weeks, respectively, compared with control values. In the 200 ppm group treatment was interrupted at week 4. With olaquindox a continuous, significant decline was found from 50 ppm and above after five weeks, and from 25 ppm and above (but excluding the 100 ppm group), after six weeks. In the cyadox groups a significant decline was measured after six weeks in the 50, 200 and 400 ppm groups. Only the 200 ppm group had an earlier response at three and five weeks. A decrease of sodium to hyponatraemic levels in the carbadox groups was seen after three weeks in the 200, and after five weeks in the 100 ppm group. In the olaquindox groups only the 200 ppm dosage showed a consistent decrease to hyponatraemic levels from four weeks treatment. In the cyadox groups the 200 ppm dosage reached a hyponatraemic level after six weeks. An increase of potassium to hyperkalaemic levels occurred at 100 and 200 ppm carbadox dosage after four and three weeks, respectively, and at 200 ppm olaquindox dosage after four weeks. No hyperkalaemic levels were seen in the cyadox groups. It is concluded that the toxic effect of olaquindox, despite minor differences, is comparable with that of carbadox but that cyadox is less toxic.     

Changes in plasma renin activity and renal immunohistochemically demonstrated renin in carbadox treated pigs

Carbadox is known to induce toxic effects on the adrenal cortex, resulting in hypoaldosteronism. To study the involvement of carbadox on the renin-angiotensin system, weaned piglets of five weeks old received feed supplemented with 0 (control group), 50, 100, 150 or 200 ppm carbadox. After four weeks the 100 and 150 ppm groups had significantly higher plasma renin activity levels than the control group and after nine weeks plasma renin activity levels of all treated groups were significantly higher than the control group. Five and 10 weeks after carbadox administration, three and two pigs, respectively, of all groups were necropsied and the kidneys were screened for immunohistochemically demonstrated renin. All dosed pigs demonstrated an increase of immunoreactive renin, which was dose- and time-related. From these results it is concluded that carbadox induces activation of the renin-angiotensin system, secondary to the suppressing effect on mineralocorticoid secretion and that these changes may be responsible for part of the clinical picture.     

The effect of monensin against swine dysentery

The use of monensin sodium against naturally transmitted swine dysentery was evaluated in 4-week-old piglets, with an average weight of 8 kg, over a period of 112 days. Three treatments were compared using between two and four pens per treatment and 12 pigs per pen. Monensin was administered via the feed, either immediately post weaning to four pens of pigs (T1), or after 12 days (T2, two pens). The T1 group received monensin at the rate of 100 ppm (days 0-56), 50 ppm (days 57-84) and 25 ppm until the end of the trial. In the other group monensin was given at 100 ppm (days 12-84) and at 50 ppm (days 85-112). Unmedicated feed was given to two pens (T3). The continuous administration of monensin from weaning was effective in the control or prevention of swine dysentery. A significant (P less than 0.05) improvement, in comparison with the other two groups, was observed in terms of mortality, diarrhoea score, average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). There was a reduction in mortality, diarrhoea score/days and an improvement in growth performance parameters in pigs treated with monensin after the disease had been established, with ADG and FCR values significantly (P less than 0.05) different compared with the untreated controls.     

Therapeutic Effect of Lincomycin and Spectinomycin Water Medication on Swine Dysentery

The therapeutic effects of various water medications on swine dysentery were determined in 223 pigs under controlled conditions. Carrier pigs were mixed with test animals until the disease was established. Lincomycin (22 mg/liter), spectinomycin (44 mg/liter) alone and lincomycin and spectinomycin in combination (66 mg/liter) and sodium arsanilate (161 mg/liter) in drinking water for seven days were the drugs evaluated. Negative and positive controls were also included. The experiment was terminated 41 to 43 days after initial medication. Mortality, mean value for stool consistency, incidence of dysenteric days and gross lesions of swine dysentery were the parameters measured for each treatment group.

The lincomycin-spectinomycin water medication was effective for the treatment of swine dysentery. Pigs treated with lincomycin-spectinomycin had a higher survival rate, a lower incidence of dysenteric days and fewer gross lesions of swine dysentery than pigs treated with sodium arsanilate, lincomycin or spectinomycin alone or the infected controls (P < 0.05).

     

3-Acetyl-4'-isovaleryl tylosin for prevention of swine dysentery

The 21 field isolates of Treponema hyodysenteriae which were tested were sensitive to 3-acetyl-4'-isovaleryl tylosin (AIV); the minimal inhibitory concentration was 0.25 to 16 micrograms/ml. 3-Acetyl-4'-isovaleryl tylosin administered prophylactically to pigs at concentrations of 5 to 100 mg/kg of feed and tylosin at 110 mg/kg of feed for 28 or 31 days prevented swine dysentery induced by tylosin-sensitive T hyodysenteriae strain SQ2; 15 nonmedicated, inoculated control pigs had bloody diarrhea, and 9 pigs died. In 2 additional trials, AIV administered prophylactically for 28 days at 55 or 110 mg/kg of feed prevented swine dysentery induced by tylosin-insensitive T hyodysenteriae strain B204. All of the inoculated principal pigs medicated with AIV at 55 or 110 mg/kg of feed or carbadox at 55 mg/kg of feed and the noninoculated sentinel pigs for each group had solid feces throughout the 56-day trial. In the nonmedicated, inoculated control groups, bloody diarrhea began at 4 to 5 days after inoculation was done, and 9 of 10 principal pigs and 6 of 9 sentinel pigs had dysentery; 2 pigs died. In the groups medicated with AIV at 27.5 or 5.5 mg/kg of feed, all 5 principal pigs and 3 or 4 sentinel pigs in each group had dysentery; 3 or 4 pigs in each group died. In the group medicated with tylosin at 110 mg/kg of feed, 7 of 10 principal pigs and all 9 sentinel pigs had dysentery; 1 pig died.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effect of neomycin, carbadox and length of adaptation to calorimeter on performance, fasting metabolism and gastrointestinal tract of young pigs

Five sets of littermate gilts (8.2 +/- .19 kg average initial weight) were randomly assigned within litter to a 16% protein corn-soybean meal basal diet (B), B + .308% neomycin, or B + 55 ppm carbadox. Each set was equally-fed individually once daily for 16 d in metabolism cages and 5 d in calorimeters. The average daily feed intake for 21 d was 276 g. Oxygen consumption and CO2 production were measured during an 8- to 24-h postprandial period on d 16, 19, 20 and 21, and during a 32- to 48-h postprandial period after the d 21 feeding. Pigs were killed 50 h postprandially for gastrointestinal tract measurements. Dietary supplementation of antimicrobial agents (neomycin and carbadox) resulted in improvements (P less than .01) in daily gain and efficiency of feed utilization and lower (P less than .05) small intestinal mass in pigs. There was no difference (P greater than .05) in daily gain, feed efficiency or small intestinal mass between pigs fed neomycin- or carbadox-supplemented diets. Whole-animal fasting O2 consumption and CO2 production measured during the 8- to 24-h or 32- to 48-h postprandial period were not affected (P greater than .05) by the supplementation or the source of dietary antimicrobial agents. There were no differences (P greater than .05) in 8- to 24-h fasting O2 and CO2 measurements determined on d 16, 19, 20 and 21, indicating that adaptation to calorimeters was not needed by the pigs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Tiamulin in drinking water for treatment and development of immunity to swine dysentery

The diarrhea of swine dysentery receded in swine treated with 60 or 45 mg of tiamulin/L of drinking water (60 or 45 ppm). However, within 2 to 10 days (average 4.1 days) after drug withdrawal, diarrhea recurred. Tiamulin (22.5 mg/L in drinking water) did not markedly reduce the diarrhea during medication, and tylosin (66 mg/L in the drinking water) was not effective. In swine treated with 120 mg of dimetridazole/L of drinking water, there was no recurrence of diarrhea. After the recurrence of diarrhea in swine, repeated medication with tiamulin in drinking water reduced the severity of diarrhea and prevented deaths. After 1 to 3 retreatments, swine were immune to exposure with swine dysentery inoculum, and there was a significant (P less than 0.05) increase in their serum anti-Treponema hyodysenteriae antibodies. Seemingly, drug withdrawal permitted the occurrence and recurrence of diarrhea that was necessary to stimulate immunity.     

Outbreaks of proliferative haemorrhagic enteropathy on two pig farms

SUMMARY Clinical signs of proliferative haemorrhagic enteropathy (PHE) including anaemia, dysentery and sudden death were observed in finisher pigs and young breeding stock on 2 farms. On farm A, PHE occurred 12 months after repopulation of the farm. Other outbreaks of PHE occurred after the withdrawal of therapeutic concentrations of in-feed antibacterial agents (farm A), or after monensin sodium (100 g/t) replaced olaquindox (100 g/t) in feed (farm B). The outbreaks, the possible sources of contamination and the role of antibacterial feed additives in the treatment and control of PHE are described.     

Efficacy of tiamulin as a growth promotant for growing swine

A study involving 244 pigs initially averaging 13 kg was conducted at two stations to evaluate tiamulin as a growth promotant for growing swine. In each experiment, four replicate pens of five (Exp. 1) or six (Exp. 2) pigs/pen were used to evaluate each treatment. In Exp. 1, pigs were fed 0, 11, 22 or 44 ppm tiamulin from 15 to 58 kg, then fed a nonmedicated control diet for the remainder of the experiment (to 95 kg). In Exp. 2, pigs were fed 0, 2.75, 5.5, 11 or 22 ppm tiamulin from 11 to 56 kg, followed by the nonmedicated control diet (to 95 kg). In each experiment, carbadox (55 ppm) was included as a positive control and was fed to an average weight of 35 kg, followed by the control diet. Averaged across all dietary levels, tiamulin resulted in a 14.1% improvement in gain and a 5.7% improvement in feed:gain ratio during the first 28 to 35 d of the experiment (to 30 kg). These improvements were slightly less than those resulting from the feeding of carbadox during the same period (21.5 and 6.9%, respectively). From 13 to 57 kg, pigs fed tiamulin gained 11.6% faster and 3.1% more efficiently than did controls. Over the entire experiment (13 to 95 kg), tiamulin-fed pigs gained 5.7% faster than did controls, even though the tiamulin was withdrawn at 57 kg body weight. Growth rate from 13 to 57 kg plateaued at the 11-ppm dietary level of tiamulin; whereas, feed:gain ratio plateaued at the 22-ppm level. The results indicate that tiamulin is an effective growth promotant for growing swine.     

Pathogenicity of Vibrio Coli for Swine I. Experimental Infection of gnotobiotic Pigs with Vibrio Coli

Fifteen gnotobiotic pigs varying in age from three to eight weeks were exposed to 23 strains of V. coli isolated from swine with clinical and/or pathological signs of swine dysentery and also from clinically healthy pigs. Clinical or pathological signs of swine dysentery were not produced, although the organism was readly established in the sedimentary tract. Culture of feces, alimentary tract and environment revealed V. coli in large numbers, but no bacterial growth was obtained from other organs. The histopathology and serology are discussed.     

Simultaneous treatment of chickens with salinomycin and tiamulin in feed.

Laboratory and field experiments involving more than 100,000 birds were performed to assess the effect of simultaneous in-feed medication of chickens with salinomycin and tiamulin at various concentrations. In an artificial infection study with Mycoplasma gallisepticum, low levels of tiamulin (10-40 ppm) did not induce signs of ionophore intoxication with salinomycin at 60 ppm in the feed, whereas levels of 50 ppm caused early signs with a mild growth depression. A level of 20 ppm gave a maximum average improvement in growth rate of 12.5%. There was a dose-related response in mycoplasma lesion inhibition, with 50 ppm reducing lesions by 75%. In the two field trials, chickens suffering from mycoplasmosis complicated with infectious bronchitis and receiving 60 ppm salinomycin in the feed showed marked improvements in mortality rates, lesion scores, and feed-conversion efficiency when tiamulin was added at 20 ppm and 30 ppm in the feed. There were no signs of incompatibility between the two antibiotics at these levels.     

Interindividual variability in plasma concentrations after systemic exposure of swine to dietary doxycycline supplied with and without paracetamol: a population pharmacokinetic approach

Anorexigenic substances released during infection may hinder the therapeutic efficacy of in-feed antibiotics. Paracetamol (acetaminophen; PARA) inhibits the anorexia of infection and seems to improve the clinical efficacy of doxycycline (DOX) against bacterial respiratory disease in swine herds. In order to verify whether PARA selectively stimulates intake of DOX-medicated feed in diseased pigs, we documented the pharmacokinetics (PK) of DOX when coadministered with PARA and examined the effect of in-feed PARA on the interindividual variability in plasma concentrations after systemic exposure to in-feed DOX in swine herds with respiratory disease. Systemic exposure to DOX was measured with the area under the curve (AUC) of its plasma concentrations over time. First, a rich-sampling PK study of in-feed and i.v. DOX (10 mg/kg of BW) and PARA (30 and 10 mg/kg of BW, respectively) was performed on 5 pigs. The PK profiles of in-feed DOX were used in mathematical simulations to determine 5 optimal sampling times for the farm-based population PK study. A randomized, blind, parallel PK study was performed in 2 herds with bacterial respiratory disease, where liquid feed was fortified with DOX alone (5 mg x kg of BW(-1) x meal(-1)) or combined with PARA (15 mg x kg of BW(-1) x meal(-1)). Medicated meals were given twice, 12 h apart, to group-housed growing pigs (n > 50 pigs x treatment(-1) x herd(-1), totaling 215 pigs). Plasma concentrations of DOX and PARA were measured with HPLC. At variance with our expectations, PARA decreased (P = 0.069) mean AUC of in-feed DOX and did not decrease its variability (P > 0.34). Mean AUC of DOX increased with feed intake and with initial exposure to DOX, and was greater in sick animals. Therefore, symptomatic PARA-induced improvement in bacterial respiratory disease control with DOX is more likely caused by its analgesic/antipyretic effects than by its orexigenic effect. Interindividual variation in the AUC of DOX was large in pigs given group medication, even when sufficient feeding space was allowed and the amount of feed offered was greater than their requirements. Therefore, future studies to improve the efficacy of group antibiotic therapy should focus on feeding behavior characteristics as well as biopharmaceutical properties of medicated feeds.     

Therapeutic effects of various concentrations of lincomycin in drinking water on experimentally transmitted swine dysentery

Three experimental studies were conducted in 232 growing pigs (8 to 12 weeks old) to evaluate the therapeutic effects of various concentrations of lincomycin in drinking water, against swine dysentery experimentally transmitted, by oral inoculation or by contact-commingling exposure. Four or 5 concentrations of lincomycin were used in each experiment (132, 66, 33, 16.5 or 0.0 mg/L of drinking water). Medication was initiated 7 to days after exposure and was continued for 6 to 10 days. Both methods of exposure were capable of transmitting the disease successfully. A more marked dose response was noticed in pigs inoculated orally than in pigs that were exposed by contact. All concentrations of lincomycin were effective for the treatment of swine dysentery by oral or by contact exposure. At the smaller concentration of 16.5 mg/L of drinking water, lincomycin was less effective for treating the disease than it was at greater concentrations. The suggested optimal concentration was 33 mg of lincomycin/L of drinking water for the treatment of swine dysentery.     

Prevention of swine dysentery with a combination of lincomycin and spectinomycin and resistance of swine dysentery to tylosin and sodium arsanilate.

The addition of a combination of lincomycin and spectinomycin to feed at the total concentrations of 44 and 77 mg/kg, beginning at the time of exposure and continuing for 8 weeks, prevented experimentally induced swine dysentery in swine. The disease did not develop after the medication was withdrawn. In contrast, swine dysentery, similar to that seen in the nonmedicated swine, did develop in simultaneously exposed swine treated with feed containing either 44 mg of tylosin or 99 mg sodium arsanilate/kg. The swine fed sodium arsanilate and which developed hemorrhagic diarrhea had a more severe form of this type of diarrhea than did the nonmedicated swine. After reexposure to inefective inoculum of swine dysentery 86 days after initial exposure, all remaining swine previously medicated with either tylosin or sodium arsanilate and all nonmedicated swine were immune; whereas 17 of the 24 swine fed the combination of lincomycin and spectinomycin were susceptible to swine dysentery and developed diarrhea.     

Responses of weanling pigs to dietary supplementation with vitamin C or carbadox

A 2 X 2 factorial arrangement with two levels (0, 660 ppm) of vitamin C and two levels (0, 55 ppm) of carbadox supplementation was used in two experiments with 112 crossbred pigs weaned between 4 and 5 wk of age. An 18% protein corn-soybean meal-oats-dried whey starter diet was used as the basal diet. Each diet was fed ad libitum for a 4-wk period to three replicates of four pigs in Exp. 1 and to four replicates of four pigs in Exp. 2. Vitamin C supplementation produced a significantly higher plasma vitamin C concentration in weanling pigs, but, contrary to results of our previous study, failed to improve average daily gain of the pigs. Daily gain was, however, improved significantly by carbadox supplementation. Carbadox also produced a significantly higher plasma vitamin C concentration in pigs after a 7-d lag period. Plasma Fe concentration of pigs was not affected by supplemental vitamin C, but was significantly higher in those fed carbadox-supplemented diets. Plasma ceruloplasmin concentration increased significantly in all treatment groups from the initial sampling period (d 0) to subsequent periods. No interactions between supplemental vitamin C and carbadox were observed in daily gain, feed efficiency and the measured plasma constituents.     

Immunofluorescence of spirochetes with serum from swine recovered from swine dysentery using an indirect fluorescent antibody test.

Using an indirect fluorescent antibody test, immunofluorescence of large spirochetes was observed with serum from swine that had recovered from swine dysentery. The spirochetes were obtained from scrapings of the colonic mucosa on the first day of diarrhea which was the time when the spirochete population was observed to be the highest. Of 29 exposed nonmedicated swine which developed and recovered from a diarrhea characteristic of swine dysentery 27 had antispirochete serum titers which ranged from 1:2 to 1:16. None of the 50 nonexposes swine developed a titer. Of 19 swine with a serum titer and reexposed with infective swine dysentery inoculum, 18 did not develop a diarrhea and were presumed to be immune. Considering these findings it is possible that this test could be used to detect antispirochete antibody in unknown swine serum.     

Induction of swine dysentery in swine by the intravenous injection of filtered Treponema hyodysenteriae.

Swine dysentery was induced in 18 swine exposed by intravenous injection of a filtrate which contained Treponema hyodysenteriae and was obtained from macerated colonic scrapings of swine dysentery. However, swine dysentery did not develop in swine injected intravenously with a pure culture of T. hyodysenteriae or when combined with a colonic filtrate from normal swine. Diarrheal feces from the swine injected intravenously with the filtered T. hyodysenteriae contained more mucus, and fecal smears contained more T. hyodysenteriae and fewer other bacteria than did swine exposed orally to colon infected with swine dysentery or filtered T. hyodysenteriae. In the colons of the 12 swine injected intravenously with filtered T. hyodysenteriae that died, there was a minimum amount of croupous membrane and, microscopically, the T. hyodysenteriae were located deep in the colonic crypts. Five of the six surviving swine injected intravenously with filtered T. hyodysenteriae developed serum anti-T. hyodysenteriae antibodies using the indirect fluorescent antibody test and four of these swine developed diarrhea when reexposed with swine dysentery infected colon six weeks after initial exposure. None of the swine injected intravenously with cultured T. hyodysenteriae developed serum anti-T. hyodysenteriae antibodies and all were highly susceptible to swine dysentery.     

Blood concentrations of amino acids, glucose and lactate during experimental swine dysentery

The aim of this study was to examine blood concentrations of amino acids, glucose and lactate in association with experimental swine dysentery. Ten pigs (approximately 23kg) were orally inoculated with Brachyspira hyodysenteriae. Eight animals developed muco-haemorrhagic diarrhoea with impaired general appearance, changes in white blood cell counts and increased levels of the acute phase protein Serum Amyolid A. Blood samples were taken before inoculation, during the incubation period, during clinical signs of dysentery and during recovery. Neither plasma glucose nor lactate concentrations changed during the course of swine dysentery, but the serum concentrations of gluconeogenic non-essential amino acids decreased during dysentery. This was mainly due to decreases in alanine, glutamine, serine and tyrosine. Lysine increased during dysentery and at the beginning of the recovery period, and leucine increased during recovery. Glutamine, alanine and tyrosine levels show negative correlations with the numbers of neutrophils and monocytes. In conclusion, swine dysentery altered the blood concentrations of amino acids, but not of glucose or lactate.