Use of corticosterone and ampicillin for treatment of Streptococcus faecalis infection in chickens.

Abstract

Chickens were selectively bred for either high-antibody (HA) or low-antibody (LA) response to sheep erythrocytes. From 6 to 31 days after Streptococcus faecalis challenge exposure, LA-line chickens maintained a greater percentage of the prechallenge-exposure body weight and had lower heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio than did HA-line chickens. The optimal dose of corticosterone (30 mg/kg of feed) was effective in maintaining postchallenge-exposure body weight greater than that of controls. Ampicillin (20 mg/d) alone was ineffective in almost all experiments. Treatment with 30 mg of corticosterone/kg of feed plus ampicillin resulted in increased body weight response to S faecalis infection when treatment was initiated 1 day before or 2 days after challenge exposure. Treatment with corticosterone was more effective in HA- than in LA-line chickens. Treatment before challenge exposure was more effective than treatment 2 days after challenge exposure.

• Authors: W B Gross
• Journal: American journal of veterinary research (Am J Vet Res) Vol. 52 Issue 8 Pg. 1288-91 (Aug 1991) ISSN: 0002-9645 [Print] United States
• PMID: 1928910 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Ampicillin
• Corticosterone

Topics

• Ampicillin (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Animal Feed
• Animals
• Body Weight
• Chickens
• Corticosterone (administration & dosage, pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Drug Therapy, Combination
• Enterococcus faecalis (drug effects)
• Poultry Diseases (drug therapy, prevention & control)
• Streptococcal Infections (drug therapy, prevention & control, veterinary)