The effect of halofuginone on the excretion of Salmonella typhimurium by experimentally infected chickens.
The effect of feeding halofuginone at 3 and 6 ppm on the excretion of Salmonella typhimurium by experimentally infected chickens was studied. A standardized procedure was used involving the oral inoculation of 72-h-old specific pathogen-free chickens with 10(8) organisms of a nalidixic acid-resistant mutant of a strain of S. typhimurium. At weekly intervals, cloacal swabs were taken and a semi-quantitative assessment was made of the numbers of Salmonella organisms excreted. When compared with the control group of infected chickens fed unmedicated food, the group fed halofuginone at 3 ppm showed no significant increase in excretion rate. The group fed 6 ppm showed a slight increase in excretion which was statistically significant.