The effect of furaltadone, a nitrofuran drug, on experimental infections of chickens with salmonella enteritidis phage Type 4

Abstract

Salmonella enteritidis phage type (PT) 4 is still the commonest serotype causing human salmonellosis in the UK and contaminated poultry meat and eggs appear to be the major source of infection. Furaltadone is a veterinary product which is marketed for the treatment and control of salmonella infection of poultry so we have studied the effect of this drug on broiler chickens experimentally infected with S.enteritidis PT4. Two groups of day-old broiler chickens were infected with S.enteritidis PT4 by including 10³ cfu g'¹ in feed from days two to six. One of the infected groups was then treated for 10 days, from day eight, with furaltadone dissolved in the drinking water (according to the manufacturer's instructions). Chickens from each group were killed and examined post mortem at intervals up to week seven, the normal slaughter age for broiler birds. Invasive infection occurred in both experimental groups and S.enteritidis PT4 was isolated from spleen, liver or heart or combinations of these 3 <i>organs. Treatment</i> with furaltadone did not modify the infection nor did it prevent cross-infection to uninfected birds, which were mixed with the infected group after it had received treatment. A control group of birds remained uninfected. We conclude that the nitrofuran drug furaltadone is not effective for treatment or control of S.enteritidis PT4 infection of broiler chickens.