DERIVATION OF PASTEURELLA-MULTOCIDA-FREE RABBIT LITTERS BY ENROFLOXACIN TREATMENT

Pasteurella multocida is an important bacterial pathogen of rabbits th at is easily transmitted from infected does to their kits prior to wea ning. Enrofloxacin, a flouroquinolone antibiotic, is effective at limi ting nasal caarriage of P. multocida in rabbits. To determine if enrof loxacin treiatment of pregnant does infected with P. nultocida can be used to produce P. multocida-free litters, groups of 3 rabbits were in oculatedintranasally on day 10 of gestation with 1.0 x 10(6) P. multoc ida CFUs. Beginning on day 14, one group received inrofloxacin IM (5 m g kg(-1), BID), and a second group received enrofloxacin in the drinki ng water (200 mg1(-1)). IM treatment continued until kindling, while P O treatment continued 1 week after kindling. A third group was infecte d but received only IM saline, and a fourth group was infected but not treated. In addition, a fifth goup was neither infected nor treated. Culture of nasal lavage samples and tissues from does and kits showed that both routes of enrofloxacin treatment failed to completely elimin ate P. multocida from does, but all kits from enrofloxacin-treated doe s were free from P. multocida. These result suggest that treatment of does with inrofloxacin during the periparturient period may interrupt transmission of P. multocida from infected does to their kits and that this treatment may be useful for deriving Pasteurella-free rabbits fr om infected does.