Modified microbiological method for the screening of antibiotics in milk.

The Bacillus stearothermophilus disc assay is routinely used by the dairy industry to screen milk for antibiotic residues. Although the assay detects the presence of beta-lactam antibiotics, it does not distinguish cephalosporins from other beta-lactam antibiotics. In this study, the B. stearothermophilus disc assay was modified to allow it to distinguish parent ceftiofur from other antibiotics by incorporation of the enzymes penicillinase and cephalosporinase into the assay. The modified B. stearothermophilus disc assay involves determining the zone of inhibition of a sample on an agar plate after the plate was incubated at 65 degrees C for 2.5 to 3 h as well as determining the zone of inhibition after the sample was treated with penicillinase or cephalosporinase. Samples in which this zone diameter was > 19 mm and < or = 25 mm were interpreted using the data from the primary assay. Samples with zone diameters > 25 mm must be diluted 2- to 10-fold and reassayed to obtain a zone diameter > 19 and < or = 25 mm, for proper interpretation. Samples with zone diameters > or = 16 mm and < or = 19 mm must also be reassayed using dilute enzyme solutions for proper interpretation. When these modifications of the B. stearothermophilus disc assay are used, ceftiofur can be distinguished from ampicillin, amoxicillin, penicillin, cephapirin, cloxacillin, novobiocin, and pirlimycin for samples with zone diameters > or = 16 mm. This assay cannot, however, separate ceftiofur from cefazolin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Concentration of ceftiofur metabolites in the plasma and lungs of horses following intramuscular treatment.

Ceftiofur sodium, a broad spectrum cephalosporin antibiotic approved for veterinary use, is metabolized to desfuroylceftiofur which is conjugated to micro as well as macromolecules. Twelve horses, weighting 442-618 kg, were injected intramuscularly with a single dose of 2.2 mg ceftiofur/kg (1.0 mg/lb) body weight. Blood was collected at various intervals over 24 h after treatment. Three groups of four horses each were euthanized and lungs were collected at 1, 12, and 24 h after treatment. The concentration of desfuroylceftiofur and desfuroylceftiofur conjugates in the plasma and lungs was determined by converting them to desfuroylceftiofur acetamide (DCA) and measured DCA by high performance liquid chromatography with UV detection. The average maximum concentration (Cmax) of desfuroylceftiofur and related metabolites in plasma expressed as ceftiofur equivalents was 4.46 +/- 0.93 micrograms/ml occurred at 1.25 +/- 0.46 h after treatment. These concentrations declined to 0.99 +/- 0.16, 0.47 +/- 0.15 and 0.17 +/- 0.02 microgram/ml at 8, 12, and 24 h, respectively. The mean residence time of ceftiofur metabolites was 6.10 +/- 1.27 h. Concentrations of desfuroylceftiofur and desfuroylceftiofur conjugates in the lungs of horses expressed as ceftiofur equivalents were 1.40 +/- 0.36, 0.27 +/- 0.07, and 0.15 +/- 0.08 micrograms/ml at 1, 12, and 24 h, respectively. These concentrations of the drug at 12 and 24 h in lung homogenate were similar but slightly lower than plasma concentrations in the same horses, and the plasma pharmacokinetic values including half-life were similar to those observed at the approved dose of 1.1-2.2 mg ceftiofur/kg body weight administered intramuscularly once daily for 3-5 days in cattle.

Depletion of intramuscularly injected ceftiofur from the milk of dairy cattle.

Ceftiofur sodium, a new broad-spectrum cephalosporin, has been approved in the US, Canada, and several other countries throughout the world to treat bovine respiratory disease in cattle and dairy cows. In Experiment 1, 6 lactating cows were intramuscularly treated with 2.29 mg of [14C]ceftiofur/kg of BW daily for 5 d. In Experiment 2, 30 additional cows at three locations were similarly treated with 2.2 mg of ceftiofur (unlabeled)/kg of BW. Milk was collected every 12 and 24 h after each dose and every 12 h up to 5 d after the last dose. The majority of milk samples, both during treatment (12 and 24 h after each dose) and after the last dose (up to 5 d following ceftiofur treatment), were negative by screening procedures based on microbial inhibition (Delvotest-P, Bacillus stearothermophilus disk assay, and cylinder plate assays). The receptor-binding Charm Test II assay, which has a limit of detection of .005 ppm of ceftiofur, gave positive tests for milk samples up to 48 h following treatment. When the Charm Test II assay is used with .008 IU/ml of penicillin as a positive control, 44% of the samples from individual cows were negative at 12 h posttreatment. Ninety percent of the samples from individual cows were negative at 24 h after the last treatment. The use of ceftiofur in dairy cattle in accordance with the label directions does not result in total residues in milk higher than the FDA-calculated safe concentration of 1-ppm ceftiofur equivalents. The milk from individual cows did not test positive by the commercial screening assays examined in this study, except for the Charm Test II. The Charm Test II was 90% negative using the Charm Sciences criteria at 24 h after the last treatment.

Liquid chromatographic determination of desfuroylceftiofur metabolite of ceftiofur as residue in cattle plasma.

A liquid chromatographic (LC) method has been developed for the determination of the desfuroylceftiofur metabolite of ceftiofur as a residue in the plasma of animals. Plasma sample in 0.1M pH 8.7 phosphate buffer containing dithioerythritol is incubated under nitrogen for 15 min at 50 degrees C. The sample is centrifuged, charged to a C18 cartridge, and washed with 0.1M ammonium acetate. The desfuroylceftiofur residue on the cartridge is derivatized by adding 0.1M ammonium acetate containing iodoacetamide and letting the cartridge stand in the dark for 30 min. The cartridge is then drained and rinsed, and the desfuroylceftiofur acetamide is eluted with methanol. The mixture is evaporated to dryness, dissolved in pH 10.6 sodium hydroxide, and charged to a SAX cartridge. The derivative is eluted with 2% acetic acid, reduced in volume, and dissolved in mobile phase for liquid chromatography. The LC system includes a C8 column and guard cartridge with UV detection at 254 nm. The gradient mobile phase (flow rate 1 mL/min) is 0.01M pH 5 ammonium acetate programmed to 29% methanol-water (60 + 40) in 25 min. Recoveries were 90-100% with a sensitivity of 0.1 ppm or less. The procedure has been applied to the plasma of cattle, rats, horses, pigs, and dogs.

In vitro covalent binding of 14C-mibolerone to rat liver microsomes.

Mibolerone (17-Hydroxy-7,17-dimethylestr-4-en-3-one; 7 alpha-17 alpha dimethyl-19-nortestosterone) is being marketed by The Upjohn Company for the inhibition of estrus in bitches. The aim of this study was to determine the extent of covalent binding of mibolerone to rat liver microsomes. Liver microsomes were obtained from Control and phenobarbitol-treated female Fisher rats, and were incubated with 14C-mibolerone at 37 degrees C for 10 minutes. No covalent binding to macromolecules was observed when 14C-mibolerone was incubated with rat liver microsomes. Under identical conditions, 14C-estradiol was covalently bound to macromolecules. Slightly higher covalent binding of estradiol was observed with microsomes from phenobarbitol-treated rats. Ascorbic acid and glutathione inhibited covalent binding of estradiol to macromolecules in the in vitro microsomal system.

Experiences in dealing with drug-related bound residues.

Although more than 90% of the radioactivity was excreted in the urine and feces within 10 days of oral treatment of sheep with a single dose of p [14C]toluoyl chloride phenylhydrazone (TCPH), persistent blood residues (5-6 ppm) were observed for at least 21 days. The 14C residues were largely localized in erythrocytes and covalently bound to both heme and globin. Only the phenyl group of the phenylhydrazine part of TCPH was present as 14C bound residues. An analytical procedure to measure the level of phenyl groups incorporated in heme, based on their oxidation to benzoic acid, was developed to monitor residues in treated animals. Relay metabolism in rats was studied by feeding sheep blood containing 14C residues form [14C]TCPH treatment. No retention of 14C residues in rat tissues was observed, which contrasted with the TCPH metabolism. A 90-day relay toxicity study in rats, which were fed dried blood from treated sheep containing up to 2,000 times the potential exposure to residues in the human diet, indicated no observable toxic responses. It is concluded that these data support a tolerance of 6 ppm TCPH equivalents in blood.