Beth,

The problem comes in that a large number of RI’s in snakes are caused by gram negative bacteria, which will require other classes of antibiotics. Tylan (trade name), or tylosin, is a macrolide class antibiotic that is mainly effective against only gram positive bacteria. Tylosin has been used successfully to treat chronic RI’s caused by Mycoplasma bacteria in reptiles. Mycoplasma has been implicated as the cause in a number of cases of RI in boids, however, tylosin will work well only if the causative organism of the RI is Mycoplasma. Otherwise it will usually be ineffective in resolving any other types of infections. It is also relatively non-toxic and has a wide margin of safety, and I have seen dosages running from 25 to 50 mg per kg body weight per day. I’m not sure which solution you have, as they make a Tylan 200 and a Tylan 50. The Tylan 200 is best because it has 200 mg/ml tylosin and will cut down the amount you need to inject.



If you are certain that your burmese has an RI, and is not responding to the amikacin, it is either a resistant strain of bacteria, the temps are too low, or the dosage is off. The proper dosage for amikacin is 2.5 mg/kg every 3 days. What dosage has he been getting and what are the thoughts of your vet on trying to isolate the causative organism?



Kelly

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