baquiloprim and Body-Weight

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.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Behavior, Animal; Body Weight; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Dehydration; Diarrhea; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Feces; Fluoroquinolones; Male; Pyrimidines; Sulfamethazine; Treatment Outcome

Twelve calves aged 6-10 months, and 12 calves aged 10-16 months were turned out onto a permanent pasture known to have been contaminated with oocysts of Eimeria alabamensis during the previous year. Two days after turnout, six of the older calves and six of the younger were each treated with one bolus per 200 kg bodyweight containing 1.6 g baquiloprim and 14.4 g sulphadimidine. The other 12 calves were left untreated. The excretion of Eimeria oocysts, the faecal dry matter and the weight gain of treated and untreated calves within each age group were compared during the first 3 weeks on pasture to assess the efficacy of the bolus in preventing E. alabamensis coccidiosis. All the older of the untreated calves and four of the younger developed gruel-like to watery diarrhoea 4-7 days after turnout. The faecal consistency of the treated calves remained firm and they lost significantly less weight than the control calves during the first 13 days on pasture. The treated calves also excreted significantly fewer oocysts during the first 20 days of grazing; their oocyst excretion remained low during days 8-10 when all but one of the diarrhoeic control calves excreted more than 850,000 oocysts per gram faeces (OPG). Starting on days 12 to 14 the oocyst excretion of 8 of the treated calves increased to 20,000-65,000 OPG and of 2 calves to 210,000-240,000 OPG. There was no difference in oocyst output between treated and untreated calves from the fourth week of grazing and no difference in weight gain among the younger calves. In the older calves there was a tendency for the untreated calves to gain more weight than treated calves.

Topics: Animal Feed; Animals; Anti-Infective Agents; Area Under Curve; Body Weight; Case-Control Studies; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Coccidiosis; Confidence Intervals; Diarrhea; Eimeria; Feces; Female; Pyrimidines; Random Allocation; Sulfamethazine

The excretion of Eimeria oocysts, the faecal dry matter and the weight gain of three groups of 12 calves, were compared during their first 20 days of grazing on a pasture known to have been contaminated with oocysts of Eimeria alabamensis during the previous year. On the day of turnout (day 0) the calves in group 1 were each treated with one bolus per 200 kg bodyweight containing 1.6 g baquiloprim and 14.4 g sulphadimidine. The calves of group 2 received the same treatment on day 3, and the calves of group 3 were left untreated. Eleven of the untreated calves developed clinical coccidiosis due to E. alabamensis and excreted more than 850,000 oocysts/g of faeces 8-10 days after turnout. Seven of the calves in group 1 and five of those in group 2 developed diarrhoea, but it was milder and/or less persistent than in the untreated calves. The treated calves excreted significantly fewer oocysts and lost significantly less weight than the untreated calves. On day 21 all the calves were housed and on day 27 they were challenged with 10 million sporulated oocysts of E. alabamensis and turned out on to the same pasture. Only minor clinical signs were observed in some of the calves, indicating development of immunity in all groups. However, there was a tendency for the calves treated on day 3 to excrete more oocysts and to gain less weight than the other calves.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Infective Agents; Body Weight; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Coccidiosis; Diarrhea; Drug Administration Schedule; Eimeria; Feces; Male; Pyrimidines; Sulfamethazine