Incidence of diarrhea with antibiotics and the increase of clostridia in rabbits

J Vet Med Sci. 1996 Dec;58(12):1181-5. doi: 10.1292/jvms.58.12_1181.

Abstract

Rabbits were treated with a single intravenous injection of various antibiotics. More than 40 per cent of the animals showed diarrhea after being treated with sulbactam/cefoperazone, cefmetazole, clindamycin, piperacillin or aspoxicillin. Clostridium difficile was isolated from sulbactam/cefoperazone-treated diarrheic rabbits, with their cecal contents showing positive reaction in a latex agglutination test for C. difficile enterotoxin. However, 27 cefmetazole-induced diarrheic cases were not associated with C. difficile. Other enteropathogenic bacteria, such as Campylobacter spp., Bacillus cereus, enteropathogenic Escherichia coli, coagulase positive Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., Vibrio spp., Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium spiroforme, were not isolated from either of diarrheic rabbit. However, the counts of clostridia remarkably increased in the intestine of cefmetazole-associated diarrheic rabbits. This was ascribed to the overgrowth of Clostridium innocuum and Clostridium sporogenes. There were no remarkable differences in changes in other bacterial population between diarrheic and non-diarrheic rabbits.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / adverse effects*
  • Cefoperazone / adverse effects
  • Clostridioides difficile / isolation & purification
  • Clostridium / isolation & purification*
  • Clostridium Infections / epidemiology
  • Clostridium Infections / veterinary*
  • Diarrhea / chemically induced
  • Diarrhea / epidemiology
  • Diarrhea / veterinary*
  • Drug Therapy, Combination / adverse effects
  • Incidence
  • Rabbits
  • Sulbactam / adverse effects

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents
  • Cefoperazone
  • Sulbactam