In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Nitroxoline as an Effective Antimicrobial Alternative to Poultry Production

Zhou, Yuqing; Trush, Maria M.; Ibbotson, Lewis; Espina, Laura; Lankapalli, Aditya Kumar; Farley, Alistair J. M.; Song, Huangwei; Wu, Congming; Cao, Xingyuan; Xia, Xi; Gray-Hammerton, Charlotte J.; Moorey, Alice; Delaitre, Amelie; Siegwart, George; Wang, Shaolin; Wang, Yang; Shen, Jianzhong; Schofield, Christopher J.; Walsh, Timothy R.

doi:10.3390/antibiotics15010062

Open AccessArticle

In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Nitroxoline as an Effective Antimicrobial Alternative to Poultry Production

by

Yuqing Zhou

^1,*

,

Maria M. Trush

¹

,

Lewis Ibbotson

²

,

Laura Espina

³

,

Aditya Kumar Lankapalli

¹,

Alistair J. M. Farley

²,

Huangwei Song

⁴,

Congming Wu

⁴,

Xingyuan Cao

⁴

,

Xi Xia

⁴,

Charlotte J. Gray-Hammerton

¹

,

Alice Moorey

¹,

Amelie Delaitre

¹,

George Siegwart

¹,

Shaolin Wang

⁴,

Yang Wang

⁴,

Jianzhong Shen

⁴,

Christopher J. Schofield

²

and

Timothy R. Walsh

^1,*

¹

Department of Biology and the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK

²

Department of Chemistry and the Ineos Oxford Institute for Antimicrobial Research, University of Oxford,12 Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3TA, UK

³

Fundación Agencia Aragonesa para la Investigación y el Desarrollo (ARAID), Avenida Ranillas 1D, 50018 Zaragoza, Spain

⁴

College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, No. 2 Yuanmingyuan West Road, Beijing 100193, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Antibiotics 2026, 15(1), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15010062

Submission received: 8 December 2025 / Revised: 26 December 2025 / Accepted: 29 December 2025 / Published: 6 January 2026

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Abstract

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a major global challenge that is exacerbated by extensive antibiotic use in livestock farming. Identifying effective alternatives to widely used human antibiotics in animal production is vital to safeguard vital human medicines and ensure sustainable food systems. Here we describe studies identifying nitroxoline (NTX) as a promising antimicrobial candidate for use in poultry production. Methods: The antibacterial activity and resistance potential of NTX were assessed in vitro. In vivo studies in chickens evaluated tolerance, therapeutic efficacy in Salmonella-infected birds, pharmacokinetics, tissue residue depletion, growth performance, and effects on caecal microbiota. NTX was administered in-feed at different dose levels. Pharmacokinetic parameters and withdrawal periods were determined, and caecal microbiota composition was analysed using ribosomal RNA 16S sequencing. Results: NTX exhibits potent broad-spectrum antibacterial activity in vitro and low levels of resistance. NTX is well-tolerated in chickens at 500 mg/kg in-feed for 7 days and substantially reduces liver bacterial loads at 100 mg/kg in Salmonella-infected chickens. Pharmacokinetic and residue analyses reveal NTX manifests rapid absorption and distribution, high oral bioavailability (86%), and efficient tissue clearance with a 17-day withdrawal period required for skin-plus-fat clearance. NTX supplementation is associated with increased weight gain and improved feed efficiency compared to the control group, with performance comparable to chlortetracycline. Microbiota analysis indicates modulation of caecal bacterial communities, including increased Faecalibacterium and Lactobacillus. Conclusions: These results indicate that NTX is a viable alternative to important human antibiotics widely deployed in poultry production, offering a potential approach to minimise antimicrobial resistance whilst maintaining animal health and food biosafety.

Keywords: nitroxoline; antimicrobial alternative; poultry production; in vitro antibacterial activity; in vivo efficacy; pharmacokinetics; withdrawal time; gastrointestinal microbiota

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhou, Y.; Trush, M.M.; Ibbotson, L.; Espina, L.; Lankapalli, A.K.; Farley, A.J.M.; Song, H.; Wu, C.; Cao, X.; Xia, X.; et al. In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Nitroxoline as an Effective Antimicrobial Alternative to Poultry Production. Antibiotics 2026, 15, 62. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15010062

AMA Style

Zhou Y, Trush MM, Ibbotson L, Espina L, Lankapalli AK, Farley AJM, Song H, Wu C, Cao X, Xia X, et al. In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Nitroxoline as an Effective Antimicrobial Alternative to Poultry Production. Antibiotics. 2026; 15(1):62. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15010062

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhou, Yuqing, Maria M. Trush, Lewis Ibbotson, Laura Espina, Aditya Kumar Lankapalli, Alistair J. M. Farley, Huangwei Song, Congming Wu, Xingyuan Cao, Xi Xia, and et al. 2026. "In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Nitroxoline as an Effective Antimicrobial Alternative to Poultry Production" Antibiotics 15, no. 1: 62. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15010062

APA Style

Zhou, Y., Trush, M. M., Ibbotson, L., Espina, L., Lankapalli, A. K., Farley, A. J. M., Song, H., Wu, C., Cao, X., Xia, X., Gray-Hammerton, C. J., Moorey, A., Delaitre, A., Siegwart, G., Wang, S., Wang, Y., Shen, J., Schofield, C. J., & Walsh, T. R. (2026). In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Nitroxoline as an Effective Antimicrobial Alternative to Poultry Production. Antibiotics, 15(1), 62. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics15010062

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In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Nitroxoline as an Effective Antimicrobial Alternative to Poultry Production

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