Mycoplasma gallisepticum in pheasants and the efficacy of tylvalosin to treat the disease

Avian Pathol. 2011 Dec;40(6):581-6. doi: 10.1080/03079457.2011.618822.

Abstract

Infectious sinusitis, a common condition seen in adult pheasants, is primarily caused by Mycoplasma gallisepticum. The aims of the present study were to investigate the pathogenicity of M. gallisepticum in 14-day-old pheasants and evaluate the macrolide antibiotic tylvalosin (TVN) as a treatment for infectious sinusitis. The minimum inhibitory concentration of TVN for five isolates of M. gallisepticum taken from pheasants confirmed their susceptibility to TVN (range: 0.002 to 0.008 µg/ml). One of the isolates (G87/02) was inoculated intranasally into 72 pheasants (two groups of 36) at 14 days of age. Eight days later, when 18/72 (25%) of the pheasants showed clinical signs, one group was treated with 25 mg TVN/kg bodyweight daily in drinking water for three consecutive days. An uninfected, unmedicated control group (n=12) was also included. In contrast to the uninfected control group, a range of clinical signs typical of infectious sinusitis with varying severity was observed in challenged birds and M. gallisepticum was re-isolated from the infraorbital sinus and the eye/conjunctiva at necropsy, 22 days post challenge. In comparison with untreated birds, medication with TVN significantly reduced clinical signs and the re-isolation/detection of M. gallisepticum (P≤0.0021). The daily liveweight gain of treated birds was significantly increased in comparison with untreated birds (P=0.0002), and similar to daily liveweight gains observed in the uninfected control group. In conclusion, TVN at 25 mg/kg bodyweight daily for three consecutive days in drinking water was efficacious in the treatment of M. gallisepticum infection induced by challenging 14-day-old pheasants.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial

MeSH terms

  • Agglutination Tests / veterinary
  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Galliformes*
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Models, Statistical
  • Mycoplasma Infections / drug therapy
  • Mycoplasma Infections / veterinary*
  • Mycoplasma gallisepticum / drug effects*
  • Poultry Diseases / drug therapy*
  • Poultry Diseases / microbiology*
  • Sinusitis / drug therapy
  • Sinusitis / microbiology
  • Sinusitis / veterinary*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Tylosin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Tylosin / pharmacology
  • Tylosin / therapeutic use

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • tylvalosin
  • Tylosin