EFFICACY OF CEFQUINOME FOR TREATMENT OF COWS WITH MASTITIS EXPERIMENTALLY-INDUCED USING ESCHERICHIA-COLI

The efficacy of intramuscularly and intramammarily administered cefqui nome was evaluated in experimental Escherichia coli mastitis in dairy cows. Forty-seven multiparous, Israeli Holstein cows in early lactatio n that produced at least 25 L/d of milk were used, and 400 to 750 cfu of E. coli were infused into two healthy quarters of each cow. Cows we re randomly assigned to one of the following treatment groups: 1) 75 m g of cefquinome administered intramammarily three times at 12-h interv als, 2) 75 mg of cefquinome administered intramammarily three times at 12-h intervals and 1 mg/kg of cefquinome administered intramuscularly two times at a 24-h interval, 3) 1 mg/kg of cefquinome administered i ntramuscularly two times at a 24-h interval, and 4) 75 mg of ampicilli n and 200 mg of cloxacillin administered intramammarily three times at 12-h intervals. All cows developed typical signs of acute clinical ma stitis by 12 to 16 h postinoculation. Parenteral cefquinome therapy, w ith or without intramammary cefquinome (groups 2 and 3), significantly improved clinical recovery and return to milk production. The bacteri ological cure rates were considerably and significantly higher for cow s in the groups treated with cefquinome than for cows in the group tre ated with ampicillin and cloxacillin. This study supported the efficac y of cefquinome in the treatment of clinical coliform mastitis in dair y cows.