tilmicosin and Acute-Disease

To evaluate effects of tilmicosin when used in fever-based and metaphylactic treatment programs to attenuate acute undifferentiated bovine respiratory disease (BRD) in cattle that recently arrived at feedlots, and to evaluate the effects of tilmicosin for the treatment of BRD.. Randomized-block controlled study.. 1,639 calves from livestock auctions.. Cattle were assigned to 3 groups. Cattle in the nonmedicated (control) group were not given antibiotics during processing. Cattle in the fever-based treatment group were given tilmicosin (10 mg/kg [4.5 mg/lb] of body weight, s.c.) during processing when their rectal temperature was > or = 40 C (104 F). All cattle in the metaphylactic treatment group were given tilmicosin (10 mg/kg, s.c.) during processing. Calves with BRD were treated with tilmicosin (10 mg/kg, s.c.).. Morbidity rates in the metaphylactic (30.4%) and fever-based (44.7%) treatment groups were less than that for the nonmedicated group (54.8%). Mortality rate for the metaphylactic group during the first 28 days (1.1%) and during the entire study (1.7%) was less than that for the nonmedicated group (3.3 and 4.6%, respectively). Differences were not observed in therapeutic response rates among calves with BRD that were treated.. Fever-based and metaphylactic treatment programs that used tilmicosin decreased the prevalence of BRD and improved growth of calves. Metaphylactic treatment decreased the number of fatalities caused by BRD in high-risk calves. Fever-based treatment was less effective than metaphylactic treatment for decreasing the prevalence of BRD in newly arrived cattle.

Topics: Acute Disease; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Macrolides; Male; Morbidity; Respiratory Tract Infections; Tylosin

The treatment of an outbreak of acute pneumonia in 50 four- to eight-month-old Friesian and Friesian cross calves is described. At the first visit (day 0) 16 calves received 20 mg/kg bodyweight of oxytetracycline dihydrate intramuscularly and 15 received 10 mg/kg of the macrolide tilmicosin subcutaneously. The remaining 19 in-contact animals were not considered ill enough to be included in the trial and received 20 mg/kg of oxytetracycline dihydrate. The rectal temperature, demeanour, respiratory rate and respiratory effort of each calf was assessed on days 1, 2, 3, 9, 14, 21 and 28, and calves which had not responded were given repeat injections of the same antibiotic. All the calves recovered from the outbreak and of the 19 calves treated strategically, three required a second injection. Among the calves with clinical pneumonia, fewer treatments (P less than 0.01) were required by those treated with tilmicosin. The rectal temperatures of both groups decreased (P less than 0.05) after the first injection, but on day 3 the decrease was greater (P less than 0.05) in the group treated with tilmicosin. Respiratory rates varied widely but respiratory effort was less (P less than 0.05) on day 2 in the calves treated with tilmicosin. When long-acting antibiotic injections are used to treat enzootic pneumonia it is suggested that a second visit should be made on day 3 to assess the animals' response to treatment.

Topics: Acute Disease; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cattle; Cattle Diseases; Delayed-Action Preparations; Disease Outbreaks; Injections, Intramuscular; Injections, Subcutaneous; Macrolides; Oxytetracycline; Pneumonia; Respiration; Tylosin