The pharmacokinetic disposition of florfenicol was described in veal calves after administration of a single 22-mg/kg dose intravenously, orally after a 12-h fast and orally 5 min post feeding. Both serum concentrations and urinary excretion were studied. After intravenous administration the median elimination half-life was 171.9 min while the half-life of the distribution phase was 5.9 min. The median body clearance (Cl) and apparent volume of distribution (Vz) were 2.85 ml/kg/min and 0.78 l/kg, respectively. Following oral administration the median bio-availability (f) was 0.88 for calves dosed after a 12-h fast and 0.65 for calves dosed 5 min post feeding. Calves given the oral doses had a complex absorption pattern with delayed absorption. Slightly more than 50% of the administered dose both orally and intravenously was recovered as unchanged florfenicol in the urine by 30 h.

Pharmacokinetics of florfenicol 30% injectable solution was determined in lactating cows after intravenous, intramammary and intramuscular administration. Serum concentration-time data generated in the present study were analysed by non-compartmental methods based on statistical moment theory. Florfenicol half-life was 176 min, mean residence time 129 min, volume of distribution at steady-state 0.35 L/kg, and total body clearance 2.7 mL/min.kg after intravenous administration at 20 mg/kg. The absorption after intramuscular administration appeared slow and the kinetic parameters and the serum concentration vs. time curve were characteristic of absorption rate-dependent elimination. The absorption after intramammary administration of florfenicol at 20 mg/kg was good (53.9%) and resulted in serum concentrations with apparent clinical significance. The intramammary administration resulted in serum florfenicol concentrations that were significantly higher than the respective serum concentrations following intravenous administration 4 h after administration and thereafter. Florfenicol absorption was faster from the mammary gland than from the muscle. The maximum serum concentrations (Cmax) were 6.9 micrograms/mL at 360 min after intramammary administration and 2.3 micrograms/mL at 180 min after intramuscular administration. The bioavailability of florfenicol was 54% and 38% after intramammary and intramuscular administration, respectively. The Cmax in milk was 5.4 micrograms/mL at 180 min after intravenous and 1.6 micrograms/mL at 600 min after intramuscular administration.

The disposition of florfenicol after single intravenous and intramuscular doses of 20 mg of florfenicol/kg of body weight (b.w.) to feeder calves was investigated. Serum florfenicol concentrations were determined by a sensitive high performance liquid chromatographic method with a limit of quantitation of 0.025 microgram/ml. The extent of serum protein binding of florfenicol was only 13.2% at a serum florfenicol concentration of 3.0 micrograms/ml. Serum concentration-time data after intravenous administration were best described by a triexponential equation. Total body clearance and steady state volume of distribution were 3.75 ml/min/kg b.w. and 761 ml/kg b.w., respectively. The terminal half-life after intravenous administration was 159 min. The absolute systemic availability after intramuscular administration was 78.5% (range: 59.3-106%) and the harmonic mean of the terminal half-life was 1098 minutes, indicating slow release of the florfenicol from the formulation at the intramuscular injection site.

No abstract

The efficacy of emamectin benzoate as an oral treatment of sea lice, Lepeophtheirus salmonis (KrÒyer), infestations in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., was evaluated in a dose titration study and two dose confirmation studies. Replicated groups of salmon with induced infestations of sea lice were given emamectin benzoate on pelleted feed at doses of 0, 25, 50 and 100 μg kg−1 biomass day−1 for seven consecutive days. Sea lice were counted at 7, 14 and 21 days from the start of treatment, and comparisons made with control fish given the same diet without emamectin benzoate. Total numbers of sea lice were significantly reduced at all doses in all three studies when compared to control fish. There was no significant difference between doses of 50 and 100 μg kg−1, but the 50 μg kg−1 dose resulted in significantly fewer lice than the 25 μg kg−1 dose. Emamectin benzoate was highly effective in reducing numbers of preadult and adult lice and prevented the maturation of chalimus to motile stages. The optimum therapeutic dose was selected as 50 μg kg−1 day−1 for seven days. Treatment reduced the incidence of epidermal damage by sea lice and, in one study, survival of treated fish was 48% higher than in control groups. No fish mortalities or adverse effects were attributed to treatment with emamectin benzoate at any of the doses tested.