MINIMUM INHIBITORY CONCENTRATIONS OF SELECTED ANTIMICROBIAL COMPOUNDSAGAINST FLAVOBACTERIUM-PSYCHROPHILUM THE CAUSAL AGENT OF RAINBOW-TROUT FRY SYNDROME (RTFS)

The in vitro susceptibilities of 48 isolates of Flavobacterium psychro philum, the causal agent of rainbow trout fry syndrome (RTFS), to the major fish farming antimicrobial agents and to a selection of other an timicrobials were assessed using a broth microdilution method. These d ata were used along with previous published antibiograms for F. psychr ophilum, drug serum and tissue levels and reports clinical effect in a n attempt to predict the probable therapeutic efficacy. The results in dicated that resistance to the most commonly used antimicrobial compou nds was significant, but that doxycycline, sarafloxacin, enrofloxacin and florfenicol showed potential as candidate compounds for in vivo tr ials. (C) 1997 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.