virginiamycin and Poultry-Diseases

The effects of increasing aflatoxin B1 concentration (0, 0.75, 1.5 mg/kg) on broilers with or without necrotic enteritis or virginiamycin were determined. In the 23-d study, 22 male Cobb 500 chicks per pen were allotted to 12 treatments (3 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement) with 8 replications. Intestines of 5 birds per pen were examined for lesions on d 21. Birds were allowed to consume feed and water ad libitum. Aflatoxin was included in the diets from d 0. All birds received a 10× dose of coccidiosis vaccine on d 10. Pens of birds where necrotic enteritis was being induced were on Clostridium perfringens pathogen (CPP) contaminated litter from d 0. Aflatoxin decreased gain and feed intake and resulted in poorer feed:gain, increased mortality, and higher lesion scores. Inducing necrotic enteritis increased lesion scores and decreased feed intake and gain. Adding virginiamycin to the diets improved gain, feed intake, feed conversion, and decreased mortality. There was a 3-way interaction (aflatoxin × virginiamycin × CPP) on gain; increasing aflatoxin decreased gain and the effects of CPP and virginiamycin were dependent on aflatoxin concentration. In the absence of aflatoxin virginiamycin increased gain but was unable to prevent the growth suppression caused by CPP. At 0.75 mg/kg of aflatoxin virginiamycin no longer increased growth in non-CPP challenged birds but was able to increase growth in CPP-challenged birds. At the 1.5 mg/kg of aflatoxin concentration, virginiamycin increased gain in non-CPP-challenged birds but challenging birds with CPP had no effect on gain. Virginiamycin improved overall feed conversion with the greatest improvement at 1.5 mg/kg (aflatoxin × virginiamycin, P < 0.05). Aflatoxin increased lesion scores in unchallenged birds but not in challenged birds (aflatoxin × CPP, P < 0.001). Aflatoxin and necrotic enteritis decrease broiler performance and interact to decrease weight gain, virginiamycin helps improve gain in challenged birds at 0.75 mg/kg of aflatoxin, but not at 1.5 mg/kg of aflatoxin.

Topics: Aflatoxin B1; Aging; Animal Feed; Animals; Chickens; Eating; Enteritis; Male; Poultry Diseases; Virginiamycin

Short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate are considered potential alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. The efficacy of butyric acid on performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens was tested in two studies. The effect of dietary butyrate on the ability to withstand coccidial oocyte challenge also was investigated. In experiment 1, male broiler chickens were fed diets supplemented with 0 or 11 ppm virginiamycin or 0.2 or 0.4% butyric acid (as mono-, di-, and triglyceride). In experiment 2, broilers were fed bacitracin methylene disalicylate or 0.1 or 0.2% butyric acid. In another trial, birds vaccinated against coccidiosis were challenged with oocytes at 21 d and examined 6 d later. In experiment 1, diet treatments had no effect on body weight gain. Feed intake of the birds fed 0.4% butyric acid was decreased (P < 0.01) compared with birds fed the nonmedicated diet during the starter period, whereas birds fed 0.2% butyric acid had similar feed intake to the control birds. In experiment 2, diet treatments did not affect the performance of broiler chicks while carcass weight and breast meat yield increased (P < 0.01) in birds fed 0.2% butyric acid. With oocyte challenge, birds that had received butyric acid before challenge showed higher growth rate following the challenge compared with birds that received nonmedicated feed. Bacitracin decreased (P < 0.05%) duodenal villi crypt depth, whereas villus length was similar in birds fed butyric acid or the nonmedicated control diet. These results show that 0.2% butyric acid can help to maintain the performance and carcass quality of broilers, especially in vaccinated birds challenged with coccidiosis.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Butyric Acid; Chickens; Coccidiosis; Diet; Male; Poultry Diseases; Protozoan Vaccines; Virginiamycin

Male broiler chicks were fed diets containing 0 or 3.5 mg aflatoxin (AF)/kg from 1 to 28 d of age. The diets were amended with either .5% hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate (HSCAS), 16.5 mg virginiamycin (VM)/kg of diet, or .5% HSCAS + 16.5 mg VM/kg of diet to determine the effects of these compounds during aflatoxicosis. When compared with controls (814 g), BW gains were significantly lower for broilers fed the AF (731 g) or AF+VM (716 g) diets. No differences were found between the BW gains of chicks fed diets without aflatoxin (814 g) and those of chicks fed AF+HSCAS (793 g) or AF+HSCAS+VM (803 g), indicating approximately 75% protection against decreased BW gain by HSCAS and 87% protection by the HSCAS+VM combination. Relative weights of the liver and kidney and creatine kinase activity were significantly increased and albumin, total protein, cholesterol, uric acid, and inorganic phosphorus concentrations were decreased in chicks fed the diet containing AF alone. With the exception of albumin, HSCAS was effective in restoring these values to control values. The findings of this research suggest that HSCAS and HSCAS+VM can counteract some of the toxic effects of AF in growing broiler chicks.

Topics: Aluminum Silicates; Animals; Body Weight; Chickens; Drug Therapy, Combination; Male; Mycotoxicosis; Organ Size; Poultry Diseases; Treatment Outcome; Virginiamycin

The aim of this work was to test the potential use of plant-derived extracts and compounds to control Campylobacter jejuni in broiler chickens. Over a 7-wk feeding period, birds were fed a commercial diet with or without plant extracts (Acacia decurrens, Eremophila glabra), essential oil [lemon myrtle oil (LMO)], plant secondary compounds [terpinene-4-ol and α-tops (including α-terpineol, cineole, and terpinene-4-ol)], and the antibiotic virginiamycin. Traditional culture and real-time quantitative PCR techniques were used to enumerate the numbers of C. jejuni in chicken fecal and cecal samples. In addition, BW and feed intake were recorded weekly for the calculation of BW gain and feed conversion ratio. The mean log10 counts of C. jejuni were similar (P > 0.05) across treatments. However, significantly lower levels of fecal Campylobacter counts (P < 0.05) were recorded at d 41 for the α-tops treatment by culture methods. No differences (P > 0.05) in BW gain were obtained for dietary supplementation, except for the E. glabra extract, which had a negative impact (P < 0.001) on BW, resulting in sporadic death. Results from this study suggest that supplemental natural compounds used in the current study did not reduce the shedding of C. jejuni to desired levels.

Topics: Acacia; Animal Feed; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Shedding; Campylobacter Infections; Campylobacter jejuni; Cecum; Chickens; Diet; Dietary Supplements; Eremophila Plant; Feces; Male; Plant Extracts; Poultry Diseases; Random Allocation; Virginiamycin

Fifty-four quinupristin/dalfopristin-resistant Enterococcus faecium (QDREF) isolated from chickens and pigs during 2002-2003 in Korea were screened by PCR for the presence of streptogramin resistance genes vatD, vatE, and vgbA, and macrolide resistance gene ermB. None of the QDREF isolates carried vgbA and vatD genes, while vatE and ermB were detected in 9.2% and 74% of the isolates, respectively. Twenty-six percent (14/54) of the QDREF isolates contained none of the resistance determinants tested. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) patterns revealed high heterogeneity: 47 different patterns for 54 QDREF evaluated. Identical PFGE types were observed in two pairs of chicken isolates and a pair of pig isolates, respectively, but chicken isolates did not share PFGE pattern with pig isolates, suggesting clonal spread of QDREF strain between the same species of animals but not between different species of animals. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of vatE-positive E. faecium isolates and also the first evidence of clonal spread of QDREF strain between animals in Korea.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Chickens; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Enterococcus faecium; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections; Korea; Poultry Diseases; Streptogramins; Swine; Swine Diseases; Virginiamycin

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Enterococcus faecium; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections; Humans; Poultry Diseases; Swine Diseases; Virginiamycin

VanA glycopeptide resistance has persisted on broiler farms in the UK despite the absence of the antimicrobial selective pressure, avoparcin. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of horizontal gene transfer of Tn1546 versus clonal spread in the dissemination of the resistance.. One hundred and one vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium isolated from 19 unrelated farms have been investigated. Tn1546 characterization by long PCR and ClaI-digestions of amplicons showed a very low diversity of Tn types (n=4) in comparison to the high genotypic diversity demonstrated by PFGE (n=62). Conjugation experiments were carried out to assess the transfer of vancomycin resistance. Co-transfer of vanA together with erm(B) positioned on the same conjugative plasmid containing a replicon similar to pRE25 was demonstrated and also the presence of different plasmid replicons, associated with antimicrobial resistance on several unrelated farms.. Horizontal transfer of vancomycin resistance may play a more important role in the persistence of antimicrobial resistance than clonal spread. The presence of different plasmid replicons, associated with antimicrobial resistance on several unrelated farms, illustrates the ability of these enterococci to acquire and disseminate mobile genetic elements within integrated livestock systems.

Topics: Animals; Blotting, Southern; Chickens; DNA Primers; DNA Transposable Elements; Enterococcus faecium; Gene Transfer, Horizontal; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections; Lincosamides; Macrolides; Plasmids; Poultry Diseases; Replicon; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; Streptogramin B; United Kingdom; Vancomycin Resistance; Virginiamycin

In this study, we investigated the change in the resistance of Enterococcus faecium strains isolated from Dutch broilers against erythromycin and virginiamycin in 1998, 1999 and 2001 by logistic regression analysis and survival analysis. The E. faecium strains were isolated from caecal samples that had been randomly collected from six slaughterhouses. Moreover, between the sample collection in 1998 and the sample collection in 1999, virginiamycin and the macrolide antibiotics (of which erythromycin is a member) have been banned in The Netherlands from use in broiler feeds as growth promoter. In the logistic regression analysis we used the internationally accepted cut-off values to determine whether bacteria were resistant or not. In the survival analysis, inhibition of bacterial growth was the event and time to event was replaced by concentration of antibiotic to event. As a consequence, changes in the growth of bacteria can be tested over an entire range of concentrations and no cut-off value for resistance has to be determined. We performed the survival analysis by use of a Cox logistic model with an odds ratio (OR) for the increase of the odds of the basic hazard rate as outcome. Both the logistic regression and the survival analyses showed that resistance to erythromycin and virginiamycin decreased during the study period. In the logistic regression model the ORs associated with the fraction of bacteria inhibited by the antibiotics in 2001 as compared to 1998 were 3.76 (2.57-5.49) for erythromycin and 11.65 (7.68-17.66) for virginiamycin. The corresponding ORs from the survival analysis were lower; 2.88 (2.21-3.76) and 2.11 (1.80-2.49), respectively. The reason for the differences between the ORs of the survival analysis and the logistic regression analysis is probably because most changes in resistance included the cut-off value and logistic regression specifically examines those changes.

Topics: Abattoirs; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Cecum; Chickens; Colony Count, Microbial; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Enterococcus faecium; Erythromycin; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections; Logistic Models; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Netherlands; Odds Ratio; Poultry Diseases; Proportional Hazards Models; Reference Values; Survival Analysis; Virginiamycin

In this study, quinupristin/dalfopristin (Q/D)-resistant Enterococcus faecium isolates (33 from poultry farms and 1 from a human outpatient) with Q/D minimal inhibitory concentrations ranging from 4 microg/mL to 32 microg/mL were analysed. Polymerase chain reaction detected the presence of vat(E) in all isolates. Using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), 14 distinct PFGE patterns were identified. The human E. faecium isolate was distinguishable from the 33 farm isolates by PFGE. Southern hybridisation localised the vat(E) gene to an 11 kb plasmid and resulted in five plasmid hybridisation types. The vat(E)-carrying plasmid from the human isolate showed a nearly identical hybridisation pattern to a plasmid from a farm isolate. This study showed that the vat(E) gene, conferring resistance to Q/D, was carried on different plasmids in a heterogeneous group of E. faecium, some of which may be acquired by E. faecium capable of infecting humans.

Topics: Acetyltransferases; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Proteins; Blotting, Southern; Chickens; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; Enterococcus faecium; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Plasmids; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Poultry Diseases; Turkeys; Virginiamycin

The present study investigates, at farm level, the effect of the time-span between sampling and the last time a particular antimicrobial growth promoter (AGP) was included in the feed on the probability of selecting an AGP-resistant Enterococcus faecium isolate from a broiler flock. The probability that a randomly selected E. faecium isolate was resistant to avilamycin, erythromycin or virginiamycin was 0.91, 0.92 and 0.84, respectively if the isolate originated from a broiler flock fed either avilamycin- or virginiamycin-supplemented feed. As the time-span between sampling and the last AGP consumption increased, the probability of isolating an E. faecium isolate resistant to a particular AGP decreased (probability <0.2 within 3-5 years after last exposure to AGPs). The decrease in probability over time showed little farm-to-farm variation. The number of times a particular AGP was given to previous flocks reared in the same house had no effect on the probability of isolating a resistant isolate.

Topics: Animal Feed; Animal Husbandry; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Chickens; Denmark; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Enterococcus faecium; Erythromycin; Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections; Linear Models; Logistic Models; Markov Chains; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Monte Carlo Method; Oligosaccharides; Poultry Diseases; Time Factors; Vancomycin; Virginiamycin

Topics: Animal Welfare; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Chickens; European Union; Growth Substances; Legislation, Drug; Poultry Diseases; Swine; Swine Diseases; Virginiamycin

An experiment was carried out to study the effects of vaccination with Paracox, a live, attenuated vaccine against avian coccidiosis, on broilers isolated from extraneous Eimeria parasites. The study involved 3200 broiler chickens raised in floor pens similar to commercial conditions, but in an initially Eimeria-free environment. Forty percent of the chickens were vaccinated at 3 days of age and given either a basal unmedicated feed or a feed supplemented with the feed antibiotic virginiamycin. Unvaccinated birds were given either the basal feed or feed supplemented either with virginiamycin or the anticoccidial ionophore narasin. At slaughter at 36 days of age vaccinated birds had a lower live weight than non-vaccinated birds. The difference was 4.6% in unmedicated, and 6.0% in virginiamycin medicated chickens. Feed conversion ratio at slaughter was 2.5% higher for unmedicated vaccinated birds, and 1.3% higher for virginiamycin medicated vaccinated birds, compared to respective non-vaccinated groups. There was no significant difference in overall performance of unvaccinated birds given narasin as compared to virginiamycin. At 10 days post vaccination vaccinated birds had a higher number of Clostridium perfringens in the caeca, but there was no difference thereafter. Throughout the experiment, caecal clostridial counts were considerably higher in vaccinated unmedicated birds than in unvaccinated birds given narasin. The number of oocysts shed in the vaccinated groups was very low, but during a subsequent challenge with E. maxima and E. tenella the birds' immunity was found to be satisfactory.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Chickens; Clostridium perfringens; Coccidiosis; Coccidiostats; Eimeria; Feces; Female; Ionophores; Male; Parasite Egg Count; Poultry Diseases; Protozoan Vaccines; Pyrans; Vaccination; Vaccines, Attenuated; Virginiamycin

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of sucrose thermal oligosaccharide caramel (STOC) and dietary vitamin-mineral (V/M) level on growth performance and intestinal microflora of broiler chickens. In Experiment 1, Peterson x Arbor Acres male broilers (n = 384) were randomly allocated into four groups that were fed either the control diet or diets containing the antibiotic virginiamycin (11 mg/kg), 3.7% STOC or 7.5% STOC for 4 wk at brooding temperatures of 32 to 29.7 C. Weight gains for broilers in Experiment 1 were greater (P < 0.001) for birds fed STOC diets, with weight gains of 763, 822, 1,124, and 1,080 g for birds on the control, antibiotic, 3.7% STOC, and 7.5% STOC diets, respectively. Feed intake and feed conversion by birds fed STOC diets were also significantly improved. Cecal bifidobacterial numbers were increased (P < 0.03) over the control diet with numbers being 5.98, 6.99, 7.47, and 7.39 log10 cfu/g cecal DM, respectively. In Experiment 2, Peterson x Hubbard male broilers (n = 384) were used in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement with two levels of V/M premix (0.5 or 1% of the diet), two levels of STOC (0 or 3.5% of the diet), and two brooding temperatures, normal (32 to 23.6 C) or high (32 to 29.7 C) for 4 wk. Feeding the STOC diet improved (P < 0.05) weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion of broilers. The effect of STOC on animal performance was less evident when broilers were fed twice the NRC recommended levels of V/M. Feeding the STOC diets resulted in a significantly greater increase in weight gain at high brooding temperatures than at normal brooding temperatures. There was also a reduction (P < 0.05) in numbers of total aerobes and coliforms in the ceca of birds fed diets containing STOC. Feeding STOC has potential to improve growth performance of broiler chickens.

Topics: Actinomycetales Infections; Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bifidobacterium; Chickens; Diet; Dietary Carbohydrates; Dietary Sucrose; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Eating; Food, Fortified; Intestines; Male; Minerals; Oligosaccharides; Poultry Diseases; Random Allocation; Temperature; Virginiamycin; Vitamins; Weight Gain

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of virginiamycin (VM, 22 mg/kg of diet) on performance of uninfected (CON) turkey poults and those infected (INO) with stunting syndrome and reared on used woodshavings (Experiment 1) or on clean or used woodshavings (Experiment 2). Virginiamycin improved BW (P less than .001) and feed efficiency (FE) (P less than .05) from 1 to 29 days of age, irrespective of type of litter or disease condition. The increase in BW induced by VM, however, was greatest when poults were kept on used litter, resulting in significant (P less than .05) VM by litter interaction. Induced stunting syndrome depressed BW (P less than .01) to 29 days of age and impaired FE from 1 to 9 days of age (P less than .05) and from 5 to 9 days of age (P less than .01) in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively. Virginiamycin did not prevent early adverse effects of INO on BW and FE, but facilitated notable recovery of INO poults relative to INO poults not fed VM. Virginiamycin increased specific activities of maltase and sucrase of the jejunum of CON poults in Experiments 1 and 2; in Experiment 2, this VM effect was evident irrespective of type of litter. Maltase-specific activity and sucrase were reduced by INO (P less than or equal to .05 and P less than or equal to .01 in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively) and VM did not modify this effect. The maltase and sucrase data suggest that VM improved BW and FE of CON poults, in part, by helping to maintain digestive and absorptive functions of the small intestine during the early growth period, but, in the instance of INO poults, VM was not effective in this regard.

Topics: alpha-Glucosidases; Animals; Body Weight; Digestion; Enteritis; Growth Disorders; Jejunum; Male; Poultry Diseases; Sucrase; Syndrome; Turkeys; Virginiamycin

Chickens infected with highly virulent Marek's disease virus were administered in the course of 56-day fattening cyadox at a dose of 20 mg per kg feed mixture (MC group). and virginiamycin at a dose of 10 mg per kg feed mixture (MV group). The weight gains on the 56th day and dressing percentage were highest, in comparison with the control group (711.11 g and 60.62%), in the virginiamycin-treated group. An investigation into the basic chemical composition of meat revealed lower contents of dry matter and proteins in the virginiamycin-treated group (26.9% and 22.76%) if compared with the control group of chickens which were also infected with Marek's disease virus. A biometrical examination of the organs showed a statistically significant decrease in heart weight in the cyadox-treated group, increase in liver and heart weight and intestine shortening in the virginiamycin-treated group, in comparison with the control group. Pathologico-anatomical changes typical of Marek's disease were recorded in a randomly selected number of chickens in 33.3% in the control group, in 28.5% in the cyadox-treated group and in 50.0% in the virginiamycin-treated group.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Chickens; Marek Disease; Poultry Diseases; Quinoxalines; Virginiamycin

The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of virginiamycin on the course of an experimentally induced infection of Salmonella typhimurium in broilers. Several parameters were evaluated, including effects on the persistence and duration of shedding of the infecting Salmonella organism and its antibiotic resistance patterns. Virginiamycin was administered to the experimentally infected group for 8 weeks in feed at concentrations of 25 g/ton. This was compared to an infected control group not receiving the antibiotic. No effects were exhibited by virginiamycin on Salmonella typhimurium shedding and antibiotic resistance patterns.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Chickens; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Food Additives; Poultry Diseases; Salmonella Infections, Animal; Salmonella typhimurium; Virginiamycin

Duplicate trials were conducted with male broiler chickens to evaluate virginiamycin as treatment against experimentally induced necrotic enteritis infection. Each trial consisted of seven treatments, each replicated four times, with 10 birds per replicate. Two treatments were fed control ration (noninfected control and infected control) and the five remaining treatments were fed virginiamycin at 5, 10, 15, 20, or 40 g/ton. Birds were orally dosed with 10 ml of Clostridium perfringens culture at 14 days of age. At 5 weeks of age, surviving birds were killed and necropsied to obtain lesion scores. Birds fed virginiamycin had significantly less mortality and lower intestinal lesion scores than nonmedicated birds when experimentally infected with necrotic enteritis.

Topics: Animals; Chickens; Clostridium Infections; Diet; Enteritis; Male; Poultry Diseases; Virginiamycin

Topics: Animals; Chickens; Feces; Poultry Diseases; Salmonella Infections; Salmonella Infections, Animal; Salmonella typhimurium; Virginiamycin