By: Dr. Tamim Al-Shahne – Syria & Dr. Mohammad Fakhoury – Lebanon

As a veterinarian responsible for shipment supervision, the following question came to my mind while researching pharmaceutical information:
How does fosfomycin sodium work so effectively in treating severe respiratory conditions in poultry, while references state that its absorption is poor and its concentration in lung tissue is relatively limited?

I would appreciate it if you could share some of your experiences using fosfomycin sodium orally for treating respiratory cases in poultry. Experimentally, the results are impressive, showing good therapeutic outcomes in most respiratory infections in general, and particularly in Chronic Complex Respiratory Disease (CCRD), especially when combined with macrolides, for example.
However, what remains somewhat unclear to me is this:
Many studies indicate that fosfomycin sodium is poorly absorbed and does not accumulate significantly in lung tissues.
In human medicine, oral fosfomycin sodium does not exist — it is only available as an injectable form. By contrast, in human medicine, oral fosfomycin trometamol is used to treat urinary tract infections. So, does the difference lie in the formulation of the drug between veterinary and human use, or is it due to differences in the digestive physiology between birds and humans?