Efficacy of danofloxacin 18% injectable solution in the treatment of Escherichia coli diarrhoea in young calves in Europe

Abstract

The efficacy of danofloxacin 18% against naturally occurring Escherichia coli diarrhoea was investigated in calves at seven European sites. Treatment commenced on day 0, with either a single subcutaneous injection of danofloxacin 18% ( n=267) at 6 mg/kg repeated on day 2 if required, or reference product containing baquiloprim/sulphadimidine ( n=37) or gentamicin ( n=98) administered as recommended. E. coli was isolated from 90% to 100% of calves pre-treatment, and the prevalence of serotypes K99 and F41 was 8–46% and 46–92%, respectively. In both treatments, the majority of calves (93.2–93.9%) showed clinical improvement and completed the studies. There were significant reductions for both treatments, in severity of clinical signs on days 4 and 10 compared to day 0 ( P<0.0001), and between days 4 and 10 ( P<0.05), but no significant differences between treatments ( P>0.05). Danofloxacin 18% was clinically safe, and as effective as the reference products in the treatment of E. coli diarrhoea in calves.