Efficacy of marbofloxacin in calves affected with some respiratory disorders with special reference to its effect on the immune response

Abstract EN

Marbofloxacin similar to other fluoroquinolone antibiotics in that it not only has antibiotic activity to kill invading organisms by interfering with DNA synthesis, it possesses immunosuppressive activity.

The current study was contrived to pore over the efficacy of marbofloxacin against most of bacterial respiratory pathogens in cattle-calves, high lighting their possible effect (s) on immune system.

The present work was carried out using 30 cattle-calves, 12-18 months old.

Select five clinically normal calves were choosen to be used as control (group A).

Twenty five pneumonic calves were divided into two groups, the first one was five calves considered as diseased control (group B) and the another twenty calves were injected intramuscularly with marbofloxacin ; 2mg / kg b.

wt.

once daily for 3 successive days (group C).

The animals were examined clinically up to the 26th day post-treatment.

Pneumonic calves demonstrated significant increase in phagocytic activity without significant changes in phagocytic index through the first 5 days followed by significant decrease in phagocytic activity with significant increase in phagocytic index with significant increase in total leukocytic count, neutrophils, α and γ globulins, total globulins, serum total proteins and total immunoglobulin’s and significant decrease in lymphocyte and serum albumin.

Results of the experiment revealed that administration of marbofloxacin for pneumonic calves induced significant decrease in gamma-globulins, total immunoglobulin’s and lymphocytes with non significant changes in phagocytic activity, serum total proteins and total leukocytic count.

It could be concluded that the marbofloxacin was an effective drug in treatment of the most of respiratory infection at the therapeutic level and altered the immune response of pneumonic calves.