Efficacy of a new recrystallized enrofloxacin hydrochloride-dihydrate against leptospirosis in a hamster model [PublishAheadOfPrint]

A trial on Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) infected with Leptospira interrogans serovar Canicola was established to compare treatment efficacies of daily IM injections of either 10 mg/kg of Baytril® 5% or the same dose of enrofloxacin dihydrate-hydrochloride (enro-C). Hamsters were experimentally infected via oral submucosa with 400 microorganisms/animal, in a sequential time-schedule to align initial treatment day as follows: group BE₂₄ treated with Baytril® daily for 7 days after 24 of infection; group enro-C₂₄ treated with enro-C as in group BE₂₄; group BE₇₄ treated also with Baytril®, but starting 72 h after infection; group enro-C₇₄ treated as group BE₇₄ but injecting enro-C. An untreated-uninfected control group (CG-) and an infected-untreated control group (CG+) were assembled (n =18 in all groups). Hamsters' weights and temperatures were monitored daily for 28 days. Once euthanatized or following death, necropsy, histopathology, macroscopic agglutination tests (MAT), bacterial culture and PCR were performed. Mortality was 38.8% in group BE₂₄ and 100 % in group BE₇₄. No mortality was observed in enro-C₂₄ and 11.1% mortality was recorded in enro-C₇₄. Mortality in groups CG+ and CG- was 100% and zero, respectively. Combined necropsy and histopathologic findings revealed signs of septicemia and organ damage in groups BE₂₄, BE₇₂ and CG⁺. Groups enro-C₂₄ and and CG-showed no lesions. Moderated lesions were registered in 3 hamsters in group enro-C₇₂. MAT was positive in 83.3 % of BE₂₄ hamsters (83.3 %) and 100 % in BE₇₂ and CG+; 16.7% in Enro-C₂₄ and 38.9 % in enro-C₇₂. Only 4/18 were PCR positive in enro-C₇₂ and only one in enro-C₂₄ (P<0.05). It can be concluded that enro-C may be a viable option to treat leptospirosis in hamsters and that this may be the case in other species.

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