Practical and pharmacological considerations for the administration of antibacterial drugs in poultry. A review

Abstract

There is a growing gap between the production of scientific information on the use and abuse of antibacterial drugs in the poultry industry and the time per day the busy clinician can afford to keep up to date in such matters. Computerized data banks reveal that the astonishing amount of information available on the pharmacology of antibacterial agents in chickens is impossible to read, in particular to clinicians. In this context, retrospective studies can contribute to narrow the aforementioned gap of information between academia and clinicians. This study includes only relevant data to the mentioned species, avoiding repetitive information or data extrapolated from other species or human beings. Only some selected works are referenced from thousands of them carried out worldwide. The aim of this paper was to present practical pharmacological information on the use and possible misuse of antibacterial drugs in chickens. Often comparative analysis is made between perception of efficacy under field conditions and experimental soundness of available information. The information is summarized in tables to allow easy reference.