The Effect of the Administration of Different
Antimicrobial Formulations on the Fungal Infestation of the
Gastrointestinal Tract in Turkeys
Ireneusz Sokół1,
Stanisław Tokarzewski2, Kamila Bobrek3 and
Andrzej Gaweł3*
1Private
Veterinary Service, Agencja Handlu Drobiem i Mięsem sp. z o.o. ul
Sikorskiego 17/6 65-454 Zielona Góra 2Private
Veterinary Service,
Specjalistyczna Przychodnia Weterynaryjna Chorób Ptaków ul.
Gajowa 1, 20-827 Lublin3Department
of Epizootiology and Clinic of Bird and Exotic
Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wrocław University
of Environmental and Life Sciences, pl. Grunwaldzki 45, 50-366
Wrocław, Poland *Corresponding author:andrzej.gawel@upwr.edu.pl
Abstract
The gastrointestinal tract of poultry is inhabited
by a diverse community of bacteria, fungi, protozoa and viruses. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of early
antimicrobial treatment on the fungal microflora of the gastrointestinal tract
of turkeys and analyze candidiasis occurrence in later age of the birds from
treated flocks. The samples were collected from the oral cavity, crop and cloaca
of turkey poults treated at first week of life with one of the following
treatments: amoxicillin; amoxicillin and clavulanic acid; enrofloxacin;
florfenicol; lincomycin and spectinomycin; amoxicillin and colistin;
amoxicillin, clavulanic acid, and colistin; enrofloxacin and colistin. Sampling
was again carried out during the 5th week of the turkey’s life. The
most common isolated fungal were Candida
and Trichosporon. Treatment with
amoxicillin or amoxicillin and clavulanic acid provided the highest number of
positive samples, while treatment with enrofloxacin provided the lowest number
of positive samples. The inclusion of colistin in the treatment regimen resulted
in a reduction of the number of positive fungal samples. Clinical candidiasis
was not observed in any of the examined birds. The experiments demonstrated that
early antimicrobial treatment in poultry can predispose to fungal colonization
and that beta-lactams have the highest influence on gastrointestinal
colonization by fungi.