Introduction: The article presents a rapid and simple analytical procedure for determination of four tetracyclines (oxytetracycline, tetracycline, chlortetracycline, and doxycycline) in animal medicated feedingstuffs. Material and Methods: Two-gramme samples were extracted by a Na₂EDTA-McIlvaine buffer (pH 4)/methanol mixtures (40/60, v/v). The determination was achieved by liquid chromatography using a Zorbax Eclipse XDB C18 analytical column with mass spectrometer detection (LC-MS). Results: Recoveries of the antibiotics from spiked feed samples ranged from 78.2% to 113.5%. The LOD and LOQ for tetracyclines in feeds ranged from 2.8 to 4.2 and from 4.3 to 5.7 mg/kg, respectively. Conclusion: The method was successfully validated and proved to be efficient, precise, and useful for quantification of tetracyclines in medicated feedingstuffs.

Objective—To evaluate effects of quaternary benzo(c)phenanthridine alkaloids (QBAs) against Salmonella spp and determine effects on growth performance, organism shedding, and gastrointestinal tract integrity in pigs inoculated with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium. Sample—36 Salmonella isolates and twenty 5-week-old pigs. Procedures—Minimum inhibitory concentration of QBAs against the Salmonella isolates was determined. Pigs were allocated to 4 groups and inoculated with Salmonella organisms. Pigs received diets supplemented with 1.5 g of QBAs/1,000 kg of feed, 0.75 g of QBAs/1,000 kg of feed, or 59.4 g of chlortetracycline/1,000 kg of feed or a nonsupplemented (control) diet. Pigs were weighed on day 0 and then weekly for 40 days. Fecal samples were collected to quantify Salmonella organisms. Gastrointestinal tract integrity was evaluated by measuring transepithelial resistance. Results—In vitro, 9 of 36 (25%) Salmonella isolates were inhibited at 90 μg of QBAs/mL; all 36 were inhibited at 179 μg of QBAs/mL. Diets containing QBAs significantly decreased Salmonella spp shedding; shedding was lower 40 days after inoculation for pigs fed diets containing QBAs or chlortetracycline than for pigs fed the control diet. Growth performance was similar for pigs fed diets containing QBA or chlortetracycline. Gastrointestinal tract integrity was improved in pigs fed the diet containing 1.5 g of QBAs/1,000 kg of feed. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—QBAs and chlortetracycline decreased Salmonella spp shedding but did not differ with regard to growth performance. Gastrointestinal tract integrity was better, albeit not significantly, in pigs fed diets containing QBAs. Further investigation into the role of QBAs and their mechanism as an immunomodulator is necessary.

Few antimicrobials are licensed for use in sheep in Canada, and the range of indications is narrow. Treatment in an “extra-label” manner may be ineffective. In addition, potentially harmful drug residues in food-animal products and antimicrobial resistance in bacteria may be associated with extra-label drug use (ELDU). No data had been documented on drug use, specifically antimicrobial use (AMU), in Ontario sheep, although it was thought that much use was extra-label. This study investigated AMU and ELDU on 49 lamb-producing Ontario sheep farms. Data were prospectively collected over 12 months from the participating farms, and farm-level practices were ascertained with a questionnaire. Treatment-level and farm-level variables were investigated for associations with rates of AMU by means of Poisson rate regression models fit with a generalized estimating equation to control for clustering at the farm level. Antimicrobials with high mean exposure rates included chlortetracycline (in feed), penicillins, and oxytetracycline. The exposure rate in lambs was significantly lower (P < 0.01) with antimicrobial treatment of systemic signs, respiratory disease, or wound or injury than with treatment of other reported diseases or conditions; it was also significantly lower with 3 or more lambing periods per year (α = 0.05). The exposure rate in adult sheep was significantly lower with treatment of 5 of the 6 most prevalent diseases or conditions (α = 0.05) and significantly higher with producer decision to treat and producer experience of 20 y or greater. Rates of using antimicrobials not licensed for use in sheep were high, as was extra-label use of licensed antimicrobials. Diseases reportedly treated most often with antimicrobials (e.g., systemic signs, mastitis) were significantly associated with lower rates of ELDU (α = 0.05). Compared with the rates in adult sheep, the mean rate of use of nonlicensed antimicrobials was similar in the lambs, whereas the mean rate of extra-label use of licensed antimicrobials was lower among the lambs. The results are useful in determining if public health concerns about antimicrobial use in Ontario sheep are warranted and in creating drug use and licensure strategies for the Canadian sheep industry.

Consumption of chlortetracycline (CTC) at concentration of 220 mg/kg of feed for 4 weeks in experiment 1 and at concentrations of 110 and 220 mg/kg for 3 weeks and 440 mg/kg for 2 weeks in experiment 2 failed to eliminate streptococci-induced lymphadenitis from swine referred to as principals. Abscesses, mostly in the head and neck, developed in at least a third of all swine in the various groups fed these CTC concentrations. Feeding of 220 mg of CTC/kg of feed in experiment 1 began 12 weeks after exposure of principals to an untypeable group E streptococci (GES; isolate 3X29A). In experiment 2, feeding of 110 and 220 mg of CTC/kg of feed began 5 weeks after exposure of principals to GES and feeding of 440 mg of CTC/kg of feed began 6 weeks after exposure. One or more cohabitating sentinel swine of experiment 1 and one or more sentinels in all groups of principals of experiment 2, except group 2, developed abscesses that were mostly in the head and neck. In experiment 2, correlation between serum GES antibody titer and development of one or more abscesses in the principals was highly significant (P < 0.01); however, correlation between antibody titer and abscesses in the sentinels only approached significance (P < 0.10).

Mycoplasma bovis is a major cause of pneumonia, arthritis, and mastitis in cattle and can lead to significant economic losses. Antimicrobial resistance is a concern and further limits the already short list of drugs effective against mycoplasmas. The objective of this study was to examine changes in in vitro minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of antimicrobials of aminoglycoside, fluoroquinolone, lincosamide, macrolide, pleuromutilin, phenicol, and tetracycline classes for 210 M. bovis isolates collected from 1978 to 2009. The MIC(50) values of the various antimicrobials were also compared. The MIC(50) levels for enrofloxacin and danofloxacin remained low (0.25 μg/mL) across all 3 decades. MIC(50) levels for tetracyclines, tilmicosin, and tylosin tartrate were low in the 1980s, then increased in the 1990s and remained high. In the 1980s, MIC(50) levels were low for clindamycin, spectinomycin, and tulathromycin, increased in the 1990s to 8 μg/mL (clindamycin) and 32 μg/mL (spectinomycin and tulathromycin), then decreased again in the 2000s. Members of the fluoroquinolone class of antimicrobials had the lowest MIC(50) levels across all 3 decades, which suggests in vitro susceptibility of M. bovis to this class of antimicrobials. Statistically significant associations were observed between MIC values for chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, tylosin tartrate, and tilmicosin; between clindamycin, tulathromycin, spectinomycin, and tiamulin; and between tylosin tartrate and clindamycin. Changes in MIC levels of various antimicrobials over time show the importance of monitoring the susceptibility of mycoplasmas to antimicrobials. The number of antimicrobials that showed elevated MIC(50) levels, and therefore possibly reduced in vitro effectiveness against M. bovis, supports initiatives that promote prudent use of antimicrobials in agriculture.