Evaluation of Different Antibiotics in Inhibiting Colonization of Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 in the Rabbit Intestine

The effects of furazolidone, erythromycin and azithromycin in inhibiting colonisation of Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 in the rabbit intestine were tested. Both V. cholerae O1 and O139 highly colonised the gut in control rabbits. The colonisation of furazolidone-resistant strains in the rabbit intestine was prevented effectively by both erythromycin and azithromycin. In furazolidone-sensitive strains, the efficacies of erythromycin and azithromycin were very much comparable to furazolidone. These results suggested that azithromycin may be subjected to clinical trial in comparison to furazolidone and erythromycin for the treatment of cholera due to O1 and O139 infection in children.