TREATMENT OF DUCKLING SALMONELLOSIS BY ENROFLOXACIN

Salmonellosis is a serious bacterial disease affecting poultry industry leading to severe economic losses. Enrofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone compound, was proved to be efficient for treating salmonellosis in chickens, however no data were availble about its efficacy in ducks. In this study, Enrofloxacin was injected subcutaneously at a dose levels of 5, 10 and 20 mg/kg.b.wt.for five successive days into 120 ducklings of one week old experimentally infected with Salmonella typhimurium. All treated groups showed a significant (P<0.05) improvement of body gain when compared to infected, non treated ducklings. The drug at a dose level of 5mg/kg. b.wt. reduced mortality from 40% to 5%, whereas, at 10 and 20mg/kg. b. wt. no mortalities were recorded. Infected ducklings with Salmonella typhimurium showed a significant (P<0.05) decrease of serum calcium, inorganic phosphorous and albumin associated with a significant (P<0.05) increase of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), total proteins, total globulins, uric acid and creatinine. Enrofloxacin at a dose level of 20mg/kg. b. wt. induced a significant (P<0.05) increase of serum AST, creatinine and uric acid in treated ducklings. Moreover, these parameters remained disturbed one week post treatment. In infected ducklings, the forementioned disturbed biochemical parameters were corrected and returned back to its normality condition one week post treatment by Enrofloxacin at a dose levels of Sand 10mg kg.b.wt. Antibiogram study revealed that Enrofloxacin, Danofloxacin and Oxalinic acid were the most effective antibacterials against Salmonella typhimurium isolated from naturally infected ducklings.