<i>In vitro</i> antibiotic sensitivity and therapeutic efficacy of experimental salmonellosis, colibacillosis and pasteurellosis in broiler chickens

Avian salmonellosis (AS), avian colibacillosis (AC) and avian pasteurellosis (AP) have been recognized as important bacterial diseases in poultry associated with morbidity and mortality in Bangladesh. The causative agents of these three diseases were isolated (5 isolates / disease) from dead chickens submitted for diagnosis at the BRAC Poultry Disease Diagnostic Centre, Gazipur during the period from January to December 2002. Five isolates of each of the Salmonella pullorum, Escherichia coli and Pasteurella multocida were evaluated against eight antibiotic containing disc which included ciprofloxacin, gentamicin, ampicillin, chloramphenicol, erythromycin, tetracycline, cephradine and penicillin G. Erythromycin in S. pullorum and Ciprofloxacin both in the E. coli and P. multocida were found highest sensitive, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, cephradine were found moderately sensitive to S. pullorum, gentamicin, tetracycline, erythromycin and ampicillin were found moderately sensitive to E. coli, and gentamicin ampicillin, cephradine and penicillin G were moderately sensitive to P. multocida. Therapeutic trials against experimentally produced S. pullorum, E. coli and P. multocida infection in three groups of broiler chickens showed that cephradine against S. pullorum and ciprofloxacin against both in E. coli and P. multocida were found highly effective both in vitro and in vivo studies, therefore, cephradine against salmonellosis and ciprofloxacin against colibacillosis and pasteurellosis are effective drugs of choice which could be used to control morbidity and mortality in poultry caused by these diseases.Key words: antibiotic sensitivity; salmonellosis; colibacillosis; pasteurellosis, broiler chickensdoi: 10.3329/bjvm.v2i2.2538Bangl. J. Vet. Med. (2004). 2 (2): 99-102