Quaternary heterocyclylamino beta-lactams. V. L-640,876 treatment of induced enterotoxigenic colibacillosis (scours) in calves and piglets

A new semisynthetic cephalosporin Antibiotic designated L-640,876, 7-beta-(1-benzylpyridinium-4-yl)amino-3-[( (1-methyl-1H-tetrazol-5-yl)thio] methyl)ceph-3-em-4-carboxylate, was highly active in vitro against 110 enteropathogenic strains of Escherichia coli and Salmonella species of animal origin. The MIC90 was 0.125 microgram/ml for the E. coli strains, 2 micrograms/ml for the S. choleraesuis strains and 4 micrograms/ml for the S. typhimurium strains. In colostrum-fed calves infected with E. coli strain B44, L-640,876 administered by gavage at 30 mg/calf (0.67 mg/kg) twice a day for 3 days, starting at 20-hour post-inoculation, eliminated the diarrhea and reduced the mortality from 82% in the infected, nonmedicated calves to 11% in the infected, medicated calves (P less than 0.05). In colostrum-fed piglets infected with E. coli strain P155, L-640,876 administered by gavage at 12.5 or 20 mg/piglet (10 or 16 mg/kg) twice a day for 3 days, starting at 6-hour post-inoculation, eliminated the diarrhea and reduced the mortality from 79% in the infected, nonmedicated to 25% in the infected, medicated piglets (P less than 0.05). Thus, L-640,876 was highly effective in restoring the calves and piglets to good health by eliminating diarrhea and reducing mortality.