TREATMENT OF ENZOOTIC BRONCHOPNEUMONIA IN FATTENING CATTLE WITH A NEW MACROLIDE ANTIBIOTIC

The relative therapeutic efficacy of tilmicosin (a macrolide antibiotic) was evaluated in a field study involving 190 calves with enzootic bronchopneumonia in five bull fattening units in Northern Germany. The drug was administered s. c. once at a dosage of 10 mg/kg to 97 animals. Positive control calves (n = 93) were treated for at least three days with either procain penicillin (s. i. d.), gentamicin (b. i. d.), or a combination of lincomycin and spectinomycin (s. i. d.). All treatments were administered by the owners according to a protocol unknown to the person who examined the calves and evaluated outcomes of treatments (H. G.). Clinical examinations were performed before treatment was initiated, and one, two, seven, and 60 days later. Heart girth measurements were taken in all treated calves, and in a number of unaffected controls, on days one and 60. General condition, body temperature, respiratory rate, lung sounds and percentage of relapses were included in the evaluation. The tilmicosin group was never worse than the positive control group, but was found to fare significantly better in some parameters (course of body temperature, percentage of relapses). It is concluded that the single injection treatment with tilmicosin is a practical and effective alternative to the conventional multiple injection treatment protocol for enzootic bronchopneumonia.