2008 Volume 61 Issue 4 Pages 294-298
Using nasal swab samples obtained from 202 healthy cattle on ten fattening farms in Yamagata Prefecture, we conducted tests on the susceptibility to drugs of bacteria causing respiratory disease in cattle. We also examined the types and effects of antimicrobial agents used for the treatment of respiratory diseases on each farm. Many bacterial species, including the Pasteurella multocida, Mannheimia haemolytica and Mycoplasma species, were isolated from each farm. On one farm where ampicillin was used as the drug of first choice for a long period, P. multocida showed resistance to ampicillin and the cure rate was low. When the treatment programs used on three farms were changed on the basis of drug susceptibility, the cure rate using the drug of first choice showed a significant increase (P<0.01) on one farm, and an increase on the other two farms. The results of this study showed that selecting antimicrobial drugs on the basis of drug susceptibility improves the efficacy of treatment and also reduces the overuse of antibiotics.
