Bacteriological and Biochemical Studies on Pekin Duckling Infected with Pasteurella miltocida with Trial for Treatment

Abstract

Samples from cloacal swabs, liver, heart, lungs, trachea, spleen and nasal exudate were collected from 150 pekin duckling ageing 1-30 days (75 apparentaly healthy 35 diseased and 40 freshly dead) for bacteriological examination. Out of 150 examined sample 43 (28.67 %) were positive for Pasteurella Multocidanamely 5 from apparentally healthy, 13 from diseased and 25 from dead ducklings. Antibiogram study of isolates revealed that florfenicol was the highly effective drug against Pasteurella Multocida. A total of 160, one day old pekin duckling (80 healthy & 80 experimantally infected with Pasteurella Multocida) were divided into 4 equal groups (40 birds each), the 1st group consisted of healthy ducklings (control), the 2nd group included healthy ducklings which were treated with florfenicol (30mg/kg BW) in drinking water for 5 days, while the 3rd group was infected non treated ducklings and the 4th group was infected and treated ducklings with florfenicol (same dose, period and route of administration). In the four groups the hemato-biochemical changes were studied. The results revealed that healthy pekin ducklings treated with florfenicol displayed significant rise in body weight, leukocytic count and lymphocytosis, with significant decrease in heterophils. There was insignificant increase in monocytes, eosinophils, basophils, total proteins, albumin, globulins, A/G ratio, AST, ALT, ALP, uric acid and creatinine. Pasteurellosis in duckling induced anorexia depression, ruffled feathers, coughing, diarrhea, rise respiratory rate and 30% mortality rate. Monocytes, total, β, γ globulin, AST, ALP, uric acid, creatinine levels and significant decrease in weight gain, heterophils, albumin, α globulin, A/G ratio, insignificant decrease in leukocyte, lymphocyts, esinophils, total proteins and insignificant rise ALT.[M1] Florofenicol residues in examined liver and kidneys in both treated healthy and diseased ducklings were high at 1st day post treatment, very low at 6th day and completely negative from examined samples at 9th day post treatment. The highest levels of florofenicol residues were recorded in kidneys then liver. Duckling suffering from pasteurellosis and treated with florfenicol showed no clinical signs, mortality rate 5%, reduced re-isolation of Pasteurella Multocida and improved hemato-biochemical parameters. It could be concluded that florfenicol is effective in treating Pasteurella Multocida in duckling.