Antibiotic sensitivity patterns among Indian strains of avian Pasteurella multocida.

An investigation was carried out to study the antibiotic sensitivity of avian strains of Pasteurella multocida and to select an effective antimicrobial agent for control of avian pasteurellosis in India. A total of 123 strains of P. multocida recently isolated from different avian species (chicken, duck, turkey, quail, and goose), from different regions of India were subjected to antibiotic sensitivity tests using 20 different antibiotics. Absolute resistance was observed against sulfadiazine. The studies indicated that the strains were most sensitive to chloramphenicol (73.98%), followed by enrofloxacin (71.54%), lincomycin (64.23%), norfloxacin (61.79%) and doxycycline-HCl (56.91%). The majority of the strains were found to exhibit intermediate sensitivity. Chloramphenicol was selected and suggested for treatment. Antibiogram studies also revealed the emergence of multidrug-resistant strains of P. multocida among Indian poultry.