Resistance of gram-negative bacteria to gentamicin has become an increasingly common problem among clinical isolates from human beings. Susceptibility of isolates from horses to gentamicin and amikacin was evaluated for the period from July, 1983 to June, 1985. All isolates of Escherichia coli, and species of Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Proteus, and Pseudomonas examined were susceptible to amikacin, except 2 of the 46 Pseudomonas isolates. In contrast, 13 to 50% of isolates were resistant to gentamicin. Escherichia coli, and Klebsiella, Proteus, and Enterobacter species isolates were highly significantly more susceptible to amikacin (P less than 0.01) than to gentamicin. Pseudomonas spp (P = 0.13) were not significantly different in susceptibility to the 2 drugs. There was significant variation among genera in their susceptibility to gentamicin (P = 0.002), primarily because of the frequency of resistance in isolates of Klebsiella spp and Proteus spp, compared with the other 3 organisms (E coli, Enterobacter spp, and Pseudomonas spp). There was no significant difference of susceptibility to amikacin among the genera studied (P = 0.06).

Sixteen 7-week-old Holstein male calves were inoculated with sporulated oocysts of Eimeria zuernii. Four calves (controls) were euthanatized and necropsied at 14 and 20 days after inoculation (DAI). Two calves were treated with 20 mg of dexamethasone (IM) on 13, 14, and 15 DAI and euthanatized and necropsied 17 DAI and 2 calves were given similar treatments and necropsied 20 DAI. The 8 other calves were euthanatized and necropsied 20 DAI. Two were started on the anticoccidial drug decoquinate in feed 13 DAI; 2 others were given decoquinated on the same schedule plus dexamethasone on 13, 14, and 15 DAI. Two calves were given the antibiotic narasin in feed beginning 13 DAI and 2 calves were given parasin on the same schedule plus dexamethasone on 13, 14, and 15 DAI. All calves, except 2 controls necropsied 14 DAI and 4 calves given decoquinate, discharged moderate-to-large numbers of oocysts in feces and had moderate-to-severe changes in fecal consistency. Histologic examintions revealed large numbers of endogenous stages in tissues of calves treated or not treated with dexamethasone. Few endogenous stages were observed in tissues from calves that were given decoquinate or decoquinate plus dexamethasone. Calves given narasin or narasin plus dexamethasone had moderate-to-large numbers of endogenous stages in the tissues.

To investigate the epidemiological trait of intestinal diseases of animals caused by thermophilic Campylobacter spp., isolation of etiological agent was carried out. Isolated Campylobacter spp. were biotyped, serotyped and the susceptibility of the isolates to antimicrobial agents were examined. Isolation rates of Campylobacter spp. from 649 fecal materials of 208 cattle, 300 pigs and 141 chickens were 25.5 %, 23.7 % and 38.3 %, respectively. The majority of the 130 isolates of C jejuni was classified as biotype I (50.6 %) and biotype II (34.6 %). Most of the 46 isolates of C coli were biotype I (71.7 %). Isolated C jejuni strains showed 14 different serotype, and serotype 4, 26, 36 were most frequent. Isolated C coli strains showed 5 different serotype and serotype 31 and 21 were relatively common. Isolated Campylobacter spp. were highly susceptible to nalidixic acid, amikacin, gentamycin, colistin and chlorampehnicol

A total of 108 strains of C jejuni isolated from pigs and chickens were examined for the susceptibility to 10 antimicrobial agents and normal sera of cattle, sheep, guinea pigs and chickens. Minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranges of antimicrobial agents to C jejuni isolates were = 100 micro g/ml for erythromycin, rifamycin, streptomycin and tetracycline, 50 to 100 micro g for cephalothin, = 50 micro g for ampicillin,

The capsular serogroupes and drug susceptibility of 111 isolates of Pasteurella multocida from pigs with atrophic rhinitis and pneumonic lesions were investigated. Of the 111 P multocida isolates, 42 were from lung lesions, 47 from nasal turbinate lesions and the remaining 22 from the nasal swabs. P multocida isolates were typed for capsular serogroupes A by hyaluronidase inhibition of capsule and D by acriflavine auto-agglutination. Most isolates (64.9 %) were type A, 23.4 % were type D and the remaining 11.7 % were untypable. Resistance to triple sulfa (97.3 %) was most frequent, followed by resistance to tiamulin (71.2 %), tylosin (56.8 %), streptomycin (36.9 %), and neomycin (36.0 %). The majority of the organisms were susceptible in order of prevalence to baytril (100 %), ampicillin (98.2 %), linsmycin (97.3 %), cephalothin (94.6 %), gentamycin (93.7 %), amikacin (92.3 %), tetracycline (91.9 %), trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (91.0 %), and kanamycin (90.1 %). No differneces in drug resistance in relation to capsular serogroupes of P multocida and the origin of lesions were noted. A high prevalence of multiple drug resistance was observed and the most common resistant patterns were Sss, Tm, Ty (12.6 %) and Sm, Sss, Tm, Ty (8.1 %) patterns