[Treatment of bacterial infections in commercial poultry]

Several aspects of antibacterial drug therapy in poultry are reviewed and field as well as experimental findings are reported. The relatively very brief elimination half-life of antibacterial agents in poultry and the fact that the entire flock is treated orally during a short period accounts for the fact that a satisfactory therapeutic effect is only achieved in a limited number of systemic diseases. In view of the findings reported, a re-assessment of possibilities and limitations of antibacterial therapy in this field is recommended.