Frontier J. Vet. Anim. Sci.Vol. 5, No. 2 (July-Dec) 2016 111 Efficacy of Enrofloxacin and Enrofloxacin with Ampicillin sulbactam Combination in the Treatment of Subclinical Mastitis in Dairy Cows* Sripad, K., Upendra, H. A 1. and Srikrishna Isloor2 Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals, Bangalore Received: 09 October 2015; Accepted: 14 March 2016 ABSTRACT The present study was undertaken to evaluate and compare the efficacy of Enrofloxacin and Enrofloxacin with Ampicillin sulbactam, in treatment of Subclinical mastitis (SCM). Eighteen animals with SCM, randomly divided into three treatment groups each comprised of 6 cows - Group I (control group), Group II (Enrofloxacin @ 5 mg/Kg body weight Intramsucular) and Group III (Enrofloxacin @ 5 mg/Kg body weight with ampicillin-sulbactam @ 10 mg /Kg body weight. Treatment was offered for 5 days. Somatic Cell Count(SCC) in milk was done on zero, 4 th , 8 th , 15 th , 30 th , 45 th , 60 th , 75 th , 90 th , 105 th and 120 th day post treatment to assess the response to the treatment. Statistical analysis of mean SCC from 4 th to 120 th day post treatment within each treatment group revealed significant decrease (P ≤ 0.05) from the zero day value. Further mean SCC in Group II and Enrofloxacin + Ampicillin Sulbactam(Group III) resulted in less than 5 Lakh/ml upto 30 th day and 90 th day post treatment respectively. It was concluded that Enrofloxacin with Ampicillin sulbactam is more efficacious and has a prolonged therapeutic effect over Enrofloxacin alone, in treatment of SCM in dairy cows. Keywords : Bovine - Subclinical mastitis - Treatment - Evaluation . Mastitis, an inflammation of the mammary gland, either alone or in combination and with supportive usually occurs primarily in response to chemotherapeutic agents (anti inflammatory drugs, intramammary bacterial infection, but also to vitamins, etc.,) or chemicals. In the present study mycoplasmal, fungal, viral or algal infections. efficacy of a single chemotherapeutic agent Mechanical trauma, thermal trauma, and chemical (Enrofloxacin) and a combination of them insult may predispose the gland to intramammary (Enrofloxacin + Ampicillin sulbactam), in infection (IMI). Occurrence of mastitis depends on treatment of SCM was evaluated. the interaction of host, agent, and environmental MATERIALS AND METHODS factors. The severity of mastitis can be classified Eighteen dairy cows confirmed positive for SCM into sub-clinical and clinical form, of which were divided into three groups each comprised of subclinical mastitis is most important as far as dairy six animals as under : economics is considered, affecting 20 to 50 per cent Group I : Control Group of cows (Wilson et al. , 1997 and Pitkala et al ., 2004). Although the loss due to SCM is difficult to Group II : Enrofloxacin* @ 5 mg/Kg body weight quantify, it costs the average dairy farmer, more Intramsucular s.i.d for five days. than the clinical mastitis does (Hegde, 2011). Group III : Enrofloxacin @ 5 mg/Kg body weight Subclinical mastitis can be diagnosed only Intramsucular s.i.d for five days and Ampicillin with by laboratory examination, as there are no gross sulbactam combination** @ 10 mg /Kg body weight inflammatory changes in the cow, udder and milk. Intramuscular s.i.d. for five days. Though several diagnostic tests are adopted, Floxidin R was obtained from M/s.Intervet India International Dairy Federation (IDF) Pvt. Ltd., Pune recommendation is based on SCC and Ampicillin Sulbactam – was procured from M/s. microbiological status of the udder (Hillerton, 1999). Unichem Laboratories Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai. Treatment of SCM in dairy cows is Response to the treatment was assessed by important. Antibiotics or antibacterials are used collecting milk samples from all the eighteen cows * Part of doctoral thesis submitted by first author to KVAFSU, Bidar 1Professor, Department of Teaching Veterinary Clinical Complex, Veterinary College Bangalore 2Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary Microbiology,Veterinary College, Bangalore Frontier J. Vet. Anim. Sci.Vol. 5, No. 2 (July-Dec) 2016 112 under study, on zero, 4 th , 8 th , 15 th , 30 th , 45 th , 60 th , Fig. I. Mean SCC in Control group (Group I) and 75 th , 90 th , 105 th and 120 th day post treatment and groups treated with Enrofloxacin (Group II) subjected to determination of SCC. and Enrofloxacin + Ampicillin Sulbactam (Group III) Somatic Cell Count : SCC was done using Nucleocounter (Chemo Metec, Denmark). The data generated in the study was statistically analyzed by Student’s ‘t’ test and one way ANOVA at P ≤ 0.05, by using statistical software. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION In Group I (control group), the mean SCC value from zero to 120 th day ranged between 7.63 Lakh/ml to 21.17 Lakh/ml with lot of variations and no definite pattern. In Group II (Enrofloxacin alone), mean SCC values decreased from a base value of 14.35 Lakh/ml (zero day) to a lowest value th of 2.45 Lakh/ml on 8 day post treatment, later increased without any definite pattern and remained in the range between 2.45 Lakh/ml to 6.67 Lakh/ml. In Group III (Enrofloxacin with Ampicillin Sulbactam), mean SCC decreased from Statistically mean SCC from 4 th to 120 th 16.00 Lakh/ml (zero day) to 2.75 Lakh/ml on 60 th day post treatment in each treatment group found day post treatment and subsequently it increased significantly decreased (P ≤ 0.05) from the base th without any definite pattern and on 120 day the value (zero day). This indicates that both the mean SCC was 7.12 Lakh/ml. treatments i.e., Enrofloxacin alone and Table I. Mean ± SE of SCC in Control group(Group Enrofloxacin + Ampicillin sulbactam, decreased I) and groups treated with Enrofloxacin(Group II) SCC values significantly from 4 th day to 120 days. and Enrofloxacin + Ampicillin Sulbactam (Group III), in treatment of SCM in dairy cows. The SCC more than 5 Lakh/ml is considered positive for SCM (Narayana and Iya, Post Group II Group III treatment Group I SCC SCC SCC 1954). It was observed that the Enrofloxacin days of (Lakh/ml) collection (Lakh/ml) (Lakh/ml) group (Group II) resulted in mean SCC less than 5 th Zero x15.44±2.90 a x14.35±2.69 a x16.00±1.62 a Lakh/ml upto 30 day post treatment, whereas 4 x13.33±1.94 a y 2.92±0.48 b y4.58±0.78 b Enrodloxacin + Ampicillin Sulbactam (Group III) treatment resulted it upto 90 th day post treatment. 8 x14.53±2.54 a y 2.45±0.39 b y 3.92±1.12 b This indicated that efficacy of combination x a y b y b 15 15.09±2.54 2.92±0.53 3.39±0.74 (Enrofloxacin + Ampicillin Sulbactam) was better 30 x 14.33±2.77 a y 4.25±0.61 b y 3.00±0.63 b in Group III, when compared to single 45 x 20.27±8.27 a y 5.44±0.33 b y 3.52±0.60 b antibacterial (Enrofloxacin) in Group II. This observation is in agreement with the findings of 60 x 10.02±2.95 a y5.10±0.22 a y2.75±0.45 a Ergun et al. (2000), Langoni et al. (2000), Hase et x a y a y a 75 7.63±3.82 5.17±0.27 3.16±0.58 al. (2008), Peer (2008), Chetan kumar (2009) and 90 x19.45±12.07 a y 5.51±0.40 a y 2.93±0.39 a Sekkin et al. (2010) who have also reported that 105 x21.17±14.14 a y 4.51±0.49 a y 5.79±0.32 a treatment with combination of antibiotics or antibacterial agents results in better recovery in 120 x19.56±9.96 a y 6.67±0.44 a y 7.12±3.24 a cases of SCM in dairy cows. Frontier J. Vet. Anim. Sci.Vol. 5, No. 2 (July-Dec) 2016 113 CONCLUSION Langoni, H., Araujo, W.N.D.E., Silva, A.V.D.A., It can be concluded that antibacterial combination Souza, L.C.D.E., DE Araujo, W.N., Da (Enrofloxacin with Ampicillin sulbactam) has a Silva, A.V., Desouza, L.C., (2000). better therapeutic effect over single antibiotic Treatment of bovine mastitis with (Enrofloxacin) in reducing SCC and could be a amoxicillin and enrofloxacin, alone or in treatment of choice in treatment of subclinical combination. Arquivos-do-Instituto-Biologico- mastitis in dairy cows. Sao-Paulo., 67 (2): 177-180. 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