Natural Ovine Dermatophilosis: Clinical Aspects and Efficacy of Penicillin/Streptomycin Treatment

Authors: SERVET SEKİN, ÖZGÜL MUKADDES ELİTOK, BÜLENT ELİTOK, ADNAN SUAY

Abstract: This is the first report about natural Dermatophilus congolensis infection in Turkey. Presumptive and confirmatory diagnoses were made based on clinical signs and the demonstration of the bacteria frorn scab material by direct microscopic examination and by culturing the organism on bacteriological media and identifying it by conventional methods such as biochemical reactions. The study was carried out using two groups of animals. Seventy sheep and 20 goats, 8-11 months old were included in group 1 and 155, 1-4 weeks old lambs in group 2. Ten sheep and five goats in the first group and 10 lambs in the second group were allocated as control groups. In group 1, the animals were treated daily with 20.000 IU Benzilpenicillin procaine and 20 mg Dihydrostreptomycin mixture per kg body weight for 5 days. Antibiotic sprays were applied locally. In the second group, lambs were treated daily with intramusculer injection of the same antibiotic for 3 days at the same dose. Differences between treated and untreated sheep in terms of recovery were highly significant (p < 0.01) in week 5 and (p < 0.001) in weeks 6, 7 and 8. Compared to untreated lambs, a statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) was found in treated lambs in weeks 2 and 3 after treatment.

Keywords: Sheep, Lambs, Dermatophilus congolensis, penicillin/streptomycin, treatment

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