Evaluation of tulathromycin in the treatment of pulmonary abscesses in foals.
Authors: Venner Monica, Kerth Regina, Klug Erich
Journal: Veterinary journal (London, England : 1997)
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Tulathromycin for Equine Pulmonary Abscesses Lung abscesses in foals represent a significant clinical challenge, and treatment protocols have traditionally relied on prolonged oral antimicrobial combinations; this study evaluated whether tulathromycin, a long-acting injectable macrolide already established for respiratory disease in livestock, could offer an effective alternative. Seventy foals with sonographically confirmed pulmonary abscesses were assigned to receive either tulathromycin (2.5 mg/kg intramuscularly weekly; n=37) or the conventional approach of azithromycin combined with rifampin orally (n=33), with both groups continuing treatment until clinical resolution without protocol modification. Both protocols proved clinically effective over extended treatment periods (mean 53 days for tulathromycin versus 42 days for the oral combination), with tulathromycin demonstrating acceptable tolerability across 279 injections—mild, self-limiting adverse effects included diarrhoea (11 foals), fever (6 foals), and injection-site swelling (12 foals). For practitioners managing foals with lung abscesses, tulathromycin presents a practical advantage through weekly dosing and parenteral administration, potentially improving compliance and reducing stress from frequent oral dosing, though the extended treatment duration and lack of bacterial identification warrant consideration against traditional protocols and warrant further investigation into pathogen-specific efficacy.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Tulathromycin offers a viable single-drug injectable alternative to combination therapy for treating pulmonary abscesses in foals, with comparable clinical outcomes
- •Weekly IM dosing may improve compliance compared to daily oral medication in foals, though treatment duration is longer (53 vs 42 days)
- •Monitor for common side effects including transient diarrhoea, fever, and local injection site reactions; these appear self-limiting and do not typically require protocol modification
Key Findings
- •Tulathromycin (2.5 mg/kg IM weekly) treated 37 foals with pulmonary abscesses for a mean of 53 days with clinical success in 30 foals
- •Azithromycin/rifampin combination treated 33 foals for a mean of 42 days with clinical success in 30 foals
- •Tulathromycin was well tolerated with self-limiting diarrhoea in 11 foals, elevated temperature in 6 foals, and injection site swellings in 12 foals from 279 injections
- •Median number of pulmonary abscesses was similar between groups (1.4 and 1.6) and foals were only mildly sick at presentation