Effects of antibiotics on shedding of salmonella typhimurium in experimentally inoculated pigs

Abstract

The objective of this experiment was to determine if antibiotics used as feed additives and disease treatment for livestock affect duration of shedding and colonization of tissues with Salmonella typhimurium in pigs. No statistically significant difference was detected in duration or amount of shedding of S. typhimurium between pigs receiving antibiotics and control pigs. Antibiotics prevented colonization of tissues by S. typhimurium. The odds (OR= .02) of isolating S. typhimurium in at least one of four tissues examined were significantly less from pigs treated with antibiotics than from control pigs (two-tailed Fisher exact test, P= .009).