Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Tulathromycin treats mild to moderate bronchopneumonia in foals
By Rutenberg, D et al.·Published in Journal of veterinary internal medicine·2017·Equine Clinic, Germany·View original on PubMed →
PetCaseFinder translated the abstract of this peer-reviewed paper into plain English so pet owners can read it. We do not publish original research — every detail traces back to the citation above. How we work →
Original publication title: Efficacy of Tulathromycin for the Treatment of Foals with Mild to Moderate Bronchopneumonia.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A group of foals with mild to moderate bronchopneumonia were treated with either tulathromycin or a combination of azithromycin and rifampin to see which worked better. The results showed that both treatments were effective, with about 70% of foals treated with tulathromycin recovering, compared to 76% of those on the azithromycin-rifampin combination. However, the foals on the azithromycin-rifampin treatment showed faster improvement in their lung scans. While tulathromycin helped, the combination treatment was found to be more effective overall.
People also search for: foal bronchopneumonia treatment · tulathromycin for foals · azithromycin rifampin foal pneumonia
Abstract
BACKGROUND: There is conflicting data regarding the efficacy of tulathromycin for the treatment of foals with bronchopneumonia. HYPOTHESES: Tulathromycin is effective for the treatment of bronchopneumonia in foals and noninferior to the combination of azithromycin and rifampin. ANIMALS: A total of 240 foals on a farm endemic for infections caused by Rhodococcus equi. METHODS: In a controlled, randomized, and double-blinded clinical trial, foals with ultrasonographic pulmonary lesions (abscess score 10-15 cm) were allocated to 3 groups: 1-tulathromycin IM q 7 days (n = 80); 2-azithromycin-rifampin, orally q24h (n = 80); or 3-untreated controls (n = 80). Physical examination and thoracic ultrasonography were performed by individuals unaware of treatment group assignment. Foals that worsened were considered treatment failures and removed from the study. RESULTS: The proportion of foals that recovered was significantly higher for foals treated with tulathromycin (70 of 79) or azithromycin-rifampin (76 of 80) compared to that of control foals (22 of 80). The difference in the percentage of efficacy of azithromycin-rifampin versus tulathromycin was 6.4% (90% CI = -0.72-13.5%). Given that the confidence interval crossed the predetermined noninferiority limit of 10%, the null hypothesis that the response rate in the azithromycin-rifampin group is superior to that of the tulathromycin group could not be rejected. Resolution of ultrasonographic lesions occurred faster in foals treated with azithromycin-rifampin than in foals treated with tulathromycin. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Tulathromycin was effective for the treatment of bronchopneumonia in foals at this farm but not as effective as the combination of azithromycin-rifampin.
Find similar cases for your pet
PetCaseFinder finds other peer-reviewed reports of pets with the same symptoms, plus a plain-English summary of what was tried across them.
Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28421633/