Antimicrobial resistance of Mycoplasma gallisepticum Cuban isolates

Abstract

Respiratory disorders are a major cause of death in poultry. Avian mycoplasmosis which is a chronic infectious-contagious disease is within these pathologies. Although several species of mycoplasmas are involved in this process, Mycoplasma gallisepticum is recognized as the main etiological agent. One of the measures aimed at the control of this disease is the treatment with antibiotics, as it helps to improve the productive indicators and to reduce the economic losses caused  by  the  clinical  outbreaks.  Among  the  groups  of  antibiotics  most  used  in poultry are quinolones, tetracyclines and macrolides, as they are recognized as effective against Mycoplasma spp. The objective of this work was to determine the in vitro antimicrobial activity of 5 antimicrobial agents against 10 Cuban isolates of M. gallisepticum from different poultry farms destined to egg production in Mayabeque province. For this purpose, the Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) method was performed, resulting in a MIC of 2 μg/ml for Enrofloxacin; 32 μg/ml for Ciprofloxacin; 0.0625 μg/ml for Tylosin; 0.5 μg/ml for Oxytetracycline, and 0.031 μg/ml for Minocycline. This result indicates an increase in resistance in these isolates compared to the two compounds of the quinolone family used in the study. It also provides practical information for the treatment of M. gallisepticum infection in poultry.

Key words: Avian mycoplasmosis, Mycoplasma gallisepticum, antimicrobial susceptibility.