M. hyo treatment with Draxxin® plays important role in SRD management
Pigs treated for Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyo) with a single dose of the injectable antimicrobial Draxxin® (tulathromycin) had significantly better average daily gain and feed consumption in a 60-day controlled study.1
They also had lower mortality and a markedly better overall feed-to-gain ratio compared to controls (Table 1), reports Lucina Galina, DVM, PhD, director, US Pork technical services, Zoetis.
For the study, 200 pigs negative for M. hyo were infected with an M. hyo field isolate via the trachea and nose 3 days in a row. After challenge, 96 pigs met criteria for swine respiratory disease (SRD), and of these, half received one intramuscular (IM) dose of Draxxin at 2.5 mg/kg bodyweight, as indicated. The remaining pigs served as controls and received an IM injection of saline, she explains.
The researchers also scored pigs for attitude/depression and respiratory character. After challenge, all pigs had moderate depression, and almost all had moderately severe respiratory signs. By 10 days after treatment, the proportion of treated pigs scoring normal was 11% higher for attitude/depression and 24% higher for respiratory character compared to controls. In addition, only three treated pigs needed additional antibiotic therapy compared to five controls, Galina says.
Study significance
“The results are significant because M. hyo not only causes enzootic pneumonia, it plays an important role in the establishment and severity of complex SRD,” the veterinarian says.
M. hyo predisposes pigs to other SRD bacterial pathogens such as Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (APP) and Pasteurella multocida (PM).2,3 Many pigs with severe SRD are positive for both M. hyo and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), and M. hyo increases the severity of PRRSV.4
“This knowledge underscores the importance of treating M. hyo, especially considering the cost of respiratory disease rises from less than $1 per pig when M. hyo alone is present to an estimated $10 per pig when there are co-infections with pathogens such as PRRSV,”5 Galina says.
Only one dose required
Draxxin, she continues, is approved for treating not only M. hyo but the other four major bacterial causes of SRD: APP , PM, Bordetella bronchiseptica and Haemophilus parasuis. It reaches peak lung concentrations within 12 hours and provides prolonged exposure of pathogens to the antibiotic,6 she says.
“Pork producers can appreciate the convenience of one-dose treatment. There are fewer labor costs and less stress on pigs since they don’t have to be handled as often as needed with multi-dose injectables,” she says. “It’s a plus that Draxxin is also indicated for other important bacterial causes of respiratory disease.”
Considering M. hyo predisposes pigs to other respiratory diseases and worsens their severity, effective treatment of this pathogen can yield multiple disease-control benefits and minimize the economic consequences of SRD, Galina says.
Important Safety Information for Swine: The pre-slaughter withdrawal time for DRAXXIN in swine is 5 days. DRAXXIN should not be used in animals known to be hypersensitive to the product. Click here to see prescribing information for Draxxin.
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1 Data on file, Study Report No. 1121R-60-07-292, Zoetis LLC.
2 Ciprian A, Pijoan C, Cruz T, et al. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniaeincreases the susceptibility of pigs to experimental Pasteurella multocidapneumonia. Can J Vet Res. 1988;52:434-438.
3 Marois C, et al. Experimental infection of SPF pigs with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniaeserotype 9 alone or in association with Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae. Vet Microbiol. 2009 March;135(3-4):283-291.
4 Thacker E, Halbur P , Ross RF, et al. Mycoplasma hyopneumoniaepotentiation of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus-induced pneumonia. J Clin Microbiol. 1999;37(3):620-627.
5 Haden DC, Painter T, Fangman T, et al. Assessing production parameters and economic impact of swine influenza, PRRS and Mycoplasma hyopneumoniaeon finishing pigs in a large production system. In: Proceedings 43rd Annual Meeting Am Assoc Swine Veterinarians. Denver, Colorado. 2012:75-76.
6 Benchaoui HA, Nowakowski M, Sherington J, et al. Pharmacokinetics and lung tissue concentrations of tulathromycin in swine. J Vet Pharmacol Therap. 2004;27:203-210.
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DISCOVERIES, Issue 14
Discoveries is a series of research news reports written by the editors of Pig Health Today on behalf of the US Pork Business of Zoetis.
DXS-00041
revised May 2021
Posted on March 2, 2019