title: Efficacy of orally administered flumequine in the treatment of vibriosis caused by Listonella anguillarum in atlantic cod Gadus morhua.
abstract: The efficacy of orally administered flumequine in the treatment of experimentally induced vibriosis in Atlantic cod Gadus morhua was investigated. Cod (mean +/- SD, 120 +/- 30 g) were randomly distributed to twelve tanks and bath challenged for 1 h with Listonella anguillarum serotype O2alpha, strain HI-610, using a dose of 9.2 x 10(6) CFU ml(-1). At 3 d post-challenge, medication was introduced in 10 of the groups at doses of 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 25 mg flumequine kg(-1) body weight d(-1) in duplicate. The medication was administered on Days 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 after the initiation of treatment. In challenged unmedicated fish, mortality started on Day 4 post-challenge, reaching a final cumulative mortality of 82% at Day 18. In the medicated groups, mortality started on Days 3 to 5 post-challenge, reaching final cumulative mortalities of 42, 49, 37, 37 and 23% respectively for the fish treated with 2.5, 5, 10, 15 and 25 mg flumequine kg(-1) body weight d(-1). Survival of medicated fish in all groups was significantly greater than in challenged unmedicated fish (p < 0.001). Twenty-four h following the final medication, HPLC analysis found a linear relationship between doses and mean concentrations of the drug in plasma, muscle and liver.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Research, PO Box 1870 Nordnes, 5817 Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Frode Todnem
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: Vik-Mo
authors.forename: Oivind
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bergh
authors.forename: Ole Bent
authors.initials: OB
authors.lastname: Samuelsen
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology*; D005399:Fishes; D024841:Fluoroquinolones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016905:Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000662:veterinary*; D008099:Liver / Q000378:metabolism; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D014737:Vibrionaceae
chemical_list: D024841:Fluoroquinolones; C012976:flumequine