RESUMO
The pharmacokinetics of kitasamycin after intravenous and oral administration in a dose of 300 mg/kg b.wt. were studied in 18 healthy and 18 Salmonella gallinarum naturally infected chickens. The tissue residue of the antibiotic was also estimated in 30 normal chickens when it was given orally for 7 successive days. The elimination half life of kitasamycin calculated after single intravenous injection was 9.03 hour in diseased chickens corresponding to 3.74 hour in healthy birds. The body clearance was significantly reduced in diseased chickens [62.03 ml/kg/min]. Therapeutic level of kitasamycin was achieved after 15 min and persisted for 20.22 hour after its oral administration. Higher serum kitasamycin concentrations were recorded in Salmonella gallinarum infected chickens. Three days after last dose, kitasamycin was detected in bile and cecal wall but not in edible tissue. Therefore, kitasamycin treated broilers should be slaughtered before 3 days from the last dose to avoid drug residue in edible tissue