Susceptibility ofClostridium perfringensstrains from broiler chickens to antibiotics and anticoccidials

Abstract

Clostridium perfringens strains isolated in 2002 from the intestines of broiler chickens from 31 different farms located in Belgium were tested for susceptibility to 12 antibiotics used for therapy, growth promotion or prevention of coccidiosis. All strains were uniformly sensitive to the ionophore antibiotics monensin, lasalocid, salinomycin, maduramycin and narasin. All were sensitive to avilamycin, tylosin and amoxicillin, while flavomycin (bambermycin) showed low or no activity. Chlortetracycline and oxytetracycline were active at very low concentrations, but low-level acquired resistance was detected in 66% of the strains investigated. Fifty percent of these strains carried the tetP(B) resistance gene, while the tet(Q) gene was detected in only one strain. One strain with high-level resistance against tetracyclines carried the tet(M) gene. Sixty-three percent of the strains showed low-level resistance to lincomycin. The lnu(A) and lnu(B) genes were each only found in one strain. Compared with a similar investigation carried out in 1980, an increase was seen in resistance percentages with lincomycin (63% against 49%) and a slight decrease with tetracycline (66% against 74%).

The effect of commonly used anticoccidials and antibiotics in a subclinical necrotic enteritis model

“…In contrast to a previous report, among the broiler isolates tested, there was no tendency towards a bimodal distribution of MICs of amoxicillin (Martel et al, 2004). The…”

“…MICs for lincomycin and tylosin were in the same range as those described in 2004 (Martel et al, 2004). No CLSI or EUCAST breakpoints or cut-off values are available for lincomycin (http://www.eucast.org, .http://www.clsi.org).…”

“…However, when these curative antibiotics are used without precaution for the treatment of foodproducing animals, they may contribute to the development of antimicrobial resistance to important human drugs (Giguère, 2006, Schwarz et al, 2006. Previous studies reported that C. perfringens strains were susceptible to the antibiotics amoxicillin and tylosin in vitro, but that some broiler isolates showed already acquired resistance against lincomycin (Martel et al, 2004).…”

“…The carboxylic ionophore polyether anticoccidials lasalocid, maduramicin, narasin and salinomycin all possess antibacterial activity and inhibit the growth of C. perfringens in vitro (Kondo, 1988;Devriese et al, 1993;Martel et al, 2004). These anticoccidials are currently in use in the European Union and therefore, when proven active in vivo, could be useful to the European farmers in the prevention of necrotic enteritis..…”

Clostridium perfringensin poultry: an emerging threat for animal and public health

“…Reports on activities of flavophospholipol on C. perfringens and necrotic enteritis in broilers are scarce. All isolates of C. perfringens were highly resistant to this antibiotic, as shown in studies of Devriese et al (1993) and Martel et al (2004). One report mentions a decrease in faecal shedding of C. perfringens in broilers at slaughter age (Bolder et al, 1999).…”