In vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of anaerobic bacteria isolated from caprine footrot.

The in vitro antimicrobial susceptibility of Gram-negative anaerobic bacilli commonly isolated from footrot in goats was studied. A total of 97 isolates belonging to the genera Dichelobacter, Fusobacterium, Prevotella, Porphyromonas and Bacteroides, obtained from clinical cases of footrot in south-western Spain between March 2000 and May 2001, were tested against 25 antimicrobial agents comprising beta-lactams, aminoglycosides, macrolides, chloramphenicol, quinolones, lincosamides, sulphonamides and tetracyclines in order to optimise antibiotic treatment of this disease in goats. beta-lactams, tetracyclines and metronidazole displayed the highest in vitro efficacy against the species involved in the pathogenesis of footrot.