Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey guys,
Have you heard anything new about this drug Tylan (Tylosin) and it's use in Pythons other than Boas, and what the drug dose for it is?
-Ångel
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"Until we lose our self, there is no way of finding our self."
-Henry Miller.

Angel,
Tylosin has actually been around for quite a few years and is a macrolide antibiotic closely related to erythromycin. It is effective mainly against certain gram positive bacteria species and the very small and unusual bacteria called mycoplasmas. However, while these gram positive organisms can cause R.I. in snakes, by their very structure, macrolides are not effective against the vast majority of gram negative bacteria which appear to cause a large percentage of R. I. in snakes. This is where the culturing and identification process can help pin down the bacteria species, at the very least narrowing down the cause to a gram positive or gram negative organism. Tylosin is one of the few antibiotics that appears to work against mycoplasma pneumonia in snakes, and for this it is probably the best. The problem is proving mycoplasma as the causative agent, as I don't believe it is easy to culture and identify. But for R.I. caused by other gram positive species, other antibiotics are probably a better choice. I think the popularity of Tylosin is more a combination of the fact that it is easy to purchase, has low cost, and is injectable; as it has a fairly narrow spectrum of use with snakes. Hope this helped.

Kelly

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