Hazards involved in the use of furazolidone for the prevention of salmonellosis in broiler chickens

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to study the effects of interrupted, continuous and post-salmonella inoculation treatment with furazolidone in the feed on the colon-ization of Salmonella infantis in the intestines of chickens, as well as the influence of furazolidone in vitro on the effect of a mixed culture used for the prevention of salmonellosis in chickens. It was shown that chickens given interrupted treatment with 0·01% furazoli-done had significantly more salmonellas in the caeca than either chickens fed continuously with this drug or chickens without any treatment. The use of 0·01% furazolidone after inoculation with Salmonella infantis had no effect on Salmonella infantis in the caeca of chickens. The mixed bacterial culture from the normal intestinal flora lost its preventive effect on salmonellosis when cultured with 0·01% furazolidone. © 1974, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved.