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Risk of adverse effects in pneumonic foals treated with erythromycin versus other antibiotics: 143 cases (1986-1996).
Abstract: To determine whether foals with pneumonia that were treated with erythromycin, alone or in combination with rifampin or gentamicin, had a higher risk of developing adverse effects, compared with foals treated with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMS), penicillin G procaine (PGP), or a combination of TMS and PGP (control foals). Methods: Retrospective study. Methods: 143 foals < 240 days old. Methods: Information on age, sex, breed, primary drug treatment, total days of treatment with the primary drug, and whether the foal developed diarrhea, hyperthermia, or respiratory distress was obtained from the medical records. Relative risk (RR) and attributable risk (AR) were calculated to compare risk of adverse reactions between foals treated with erythromycin and control foals. Results: Only 3 (4.3%) control foals developed diarrhea; none developed hyperthermia or respiratory distress. Foals treated with erythromycin had an 8-fold risk (RR, 8.3) of developing diarrhea, compared with control foals, and increased risks of hyperthermia (AR, 25%) and respiratory distress (AR, 15%). Conclusions: Results suggest that use of erythromycin to treat foals with pneumonia was associated with an increased risk of diarrhea, hyperthermia, and respiratory distress, compared with use of TMS or PGP.
Publication Date: 2000-07-26 PubMed ID: 10909450DOI: 10.2460/javma.2000.217.68Google Scholar: Lookup The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
Summary
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The study explores whether pneumonic foals (young horses with lung infection) treated with a specific antibiotic, erythromycin, have a higher risk of developing adverse effects as compared to those treated with other antibiotics. The research findings indicate that use of erythromycin increases the risk of diarrhea, hyperthermia, and respiratory distress in treated foals.
Research methodology
- This study is retrospective in nature, meaning it reviews and analyses past cases to draw conclusions about current treatment methods.
- The researchers collected data from medical records of 143 foals under 240 days old.
- Primary data collected include age, sex, breed, primary drug treatment used, total days of treatment with the primary drug, and whether the foal developed adverse effects such as diarrhea, hyperthermia, or respiratory distress.
- To assess the risk of using erythromycin, the researchers calculated the Relative Risk (RR) and Attributable Risk (AR). RR is the probability of an event occurring in exposed group versus a non-exposed group, and AR measures the proportion of adverse effects that can be attributed to the exposure.
Results
- The results showed that only 4.3% of foals in the control group (those treated with TMS, PGP, and a combination of TMS and PGP, but not erythromycin) developed diarrhea, and none developed hyperthermia or respiratory distress.
- In comparison, foals that were treated with erythromycin had an 8-fold risk of developing diarrhea, and increased risks of hyperthermia (25%) and respiratory distress (15%).
Conclusion
- The results indicate that the use of erythromycin to treat pneumonia in foals may increase the risk of several adverse effects including diarrhea, hyperthermia, and respiratory distress when compared with the use of TMS or PGP as antibiotics.
- The research suggests that the choice of antibiotics in treating pneumonia in foals should consider the associated risks of side effects, which in this case, seemed to be significantly higher with erythromycin.
Cite This Article
APA
Stratton-Phelps M, Wilson WD, Gardner IA.
(2000).
Risk of adverse effects in pneumonic foals treated with erythromycin versus other antibiotics: 143 cases (1986-1996).
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 217(1), 68-73.
https://doi.org/10.2460/javma.2000.217.68 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis 95616, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Animals, Newborn
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / adverse effects
- Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use
- Anti-Infective Agents / therapeutic use
- Antibiotics, Antitubercular / therapeutic use
- Diarrhea / chemically induced
- Diarrhea / veterinary
- Drug Therapy, Combination
- Erythromycin / adverse effects
- Erythromycin / therapeutic use
- Female
- Fever / chemically induced
- Fever / veterinary
- Gentamicins / therapeutic use
- Horse Diseases / chemically induced
- Horse Diseases / drug therapy
- Horses
- Male
- Penicillin G Procaine / therapeutic use
- Penicillins / therapeutic use
- Pneumonia / drug therapy
- Pneumonia / veterinary
- Respiratory Insufficiency / chemically induced
- Respiratory Insufficiency / veterinary
- Retrospective Studies
- Rifampin / therapeutic use
- Risk Factors
- Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination / therapeutic use
Citations
This article has been cited 10 times.- Liepman RS, Swink JM, Habing GG, Boyaka PN, Caddey B, Costa M, Gomez DE, Toribio RE. Effects of Intravenous Antimicrobial Drugs on the Equine Fecal Microbiome. Animals (Basel) 2022 Apr 13;12(8).
- Patterson Rosa L, Mallicote MF, MacKay RJ, Brooks SA. Ion Channel and Ubiquitin Differential Expression during Erythromycin-Induced Anhidrosis in Foals. Animals (Basel) 2021 Nov 25;11(12).
- Rutenberg D, Venner M, Giguère S. Efficacy of Tulathromycin for the Treatment of Foals with Mild to Moderate Bronchopneumonia. J Vet Intern Med 2017 May;31(3):901-906.
- Madrigal RG, Shaw SD, Witkowski LA, Sisson BE, Blodgett GP, Chaffin MK, Cohen ND. Use of Serial Quantitative PCR of the vapA Gene of Rhodococcus equi in Feces for Early Detection of R. equi Pneumonia in Foals. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Mar-Apr;30(2):664-70.
- Cohen ND, Giguère S, Burton AJ, Rocha JN, Berghaus LJ, Brake CN, Bordin AI, Coleman MC. Use of Liposomal Gentamicin for Treatment of 5 Foals with Experimentally Induced Rhodococcus equi Pneumonia. J Vet Intern Med 2016 Jan-Feb;30(1):322-5.
- Hildebrand F, Venner M, Giguère S. Efficacy of gamithromycin for the treatment of foals with mild to moderate bronchopneumonia. J Vet Intern Med 2015 Jan;29(1):333-8.
- Koenig J, Cote N. Equine gastrointestinal motility--ileus and pharmacological modification. Can Vet J 2006 Jun;47(6):551-9.
- Jacks SS, Giguère S, Nguyen A. In vitro susceptibilities of Rhodococcus equi and other common equine pathogens to azithromycin, clarithromycin, and 20 other antimicrobials. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 2003 May;47(5):1742-5.
- Riess FG, Elflein M, Benk M, Schiffler B, Benz R, Garton N, Sutcliffe I. The cell wall of the pathogenic bacterium Rhodococcus equi contains two channel-forming proteins with different properties. J Bacteriol 2003 May;185(9):2952-60.
- van der Vossen N, Cavalcante P, Glynn S, Achappa D, Mehmood W, Oikawa M, Vinardell T, Jamieson C. A case-control study of atypical guttural pouch empyema in Arabian foals. Vet Med Sci 2023 Jul;9(4):1599-1609.
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