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The objectives are to study the pharmacokinetics and body fluid and tissue concentrations of antimicrobial drugs in horses and food animals. This information will be used to make dosage recommendations for these drugs when they are used to treat infectious diseases in these animals.
NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Infectious diseases are a very common problem in large animals and usually must be treated with antimicrobial drugs. The purpose of this project is to characterize how well antimicrobial drugs are absorbed and distributed into the tissues of large animal patients, and thus give veterinarians guidelines for the clinical use of these drugs.
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APPROACH: In order to make the data from these studies clinically applicable, the drugs will be given by the route of administration that would be used in the clinical setting. However, whenever possible, the drugs will also be given by the intravenous route so that meaningful pharmacokinetic calculations can be performed. This will also allow calculation of bioavailability if the drug is administered by another route, such as orally or intramuscularly. In most cases, the initial starting dose may be based on manufacturer's recommendations or extrapolation of dosages from other species. Occasionally, dosages used for similar drugs in the same species are used. In some cases, there is little existing information to base the dosage on, and therefore pilot studies are done in 2 animals to determine the appropriateness of the dosage selected. This preliminary data is then used to determine an appropriate dosage rate and interval. Repeated dose (usually 5 doses) studies are then performed to determine the steady-state characteristics of the drug. In addition to serial blood samples, other samples, including synovial fluid, peritoneal fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, urine, and endometrial tissue will be taken to determine drug concentrations at these potential sites of infection. Pathogenic bacteria isolated from culture specimens from clinical patients will be tested to determine the minimum inhibitory concentration of the antimicrobial drug. This MIC data will be used in conjunction with the pharmacokinetic information to make dosage recommendations for clinical patients.
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PROGRESS: 2003/06 TO 2007/09<BR>
The results have been disseminated to the veterinary community by presentation at international meetings and by publication in refereed journals.
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IMPACT: 2003/06 TO 2007/09<BR>
This information will guide practicing veterinarians in the use of antimicrobial drugs in equine practice.