Comparative Activity of Nihydrazone and Furazolidone Against Salmonella gallinarum and Escherichia coli in Chickens

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONNIHYDRAZONE (5-nitro-2-furaldehyde acetylhydrazone) is effective against experimental and natural infections of Eimeria tenella in chickens (Johnson and Van Ryzin, 1960). In addition to its coccidiostatic activity, investigators in the field have reported the drug active against the species of Salmonella which are pathogenic to poultry (Bierer and Barnett, 1961). Condemnation records from dressing plants (Lott, 1962) show fewer condemnations among nihydrazone medicated birds. The evidence strongly suggests that when broiler flocks are medicated with nihydrazone, severe “air sac disease” is prevented or suppressed thus accounting for the lower condemnation rates at the time of slaughter. Since experimental data are needed to substantiate the results reported from the field, it was of interest to evaluate the activity of nihydrazone against Salmonella gallinarum and against Escherichia coli, the organism most frequently involved in severe air sac disease (Renault et al., 1961). It was also of interest to compare the activity of…