Studies on the rate of disappearance of chloramphenicol from the blood of goats and calves

Abstract

Studies were conducted in goats and calves on the blood level of chloramphenicol at three dose levels of 10 mg, 20 mg and 30 mg per kg body weight intramuscularly. The data obtained revealed that: Single dose of 10 mg per kg body weight, failed to produce minimum therapeutic concentration (5 mcg/ml) of the drug in blood of both goats and calves. At 20 mg per kg body weight, the minimum therapeutic concentration persisted between second and seventh hour in goats, and second and seventeenth hour in calves. At 30 mg per kg body, weight, the minimum therapeutic concentration maintained between second and eleventh hour in goats and second and nineteenth hour in calves. Peak concentrations of the drug were obtained both in goats and calves between second and third hour after the administration of chloramphenicol. The drug concentration was higher in urine than in blood and minimum therapeutic concentration was found to persist for 24 hours in all the three doses. In a limited attempt made to study the toxicity of chloramphenicol in calves, 100 mg per kg body weight, administered daily, intravenously for 30 days, did not produce acute toxicity. Transient “shock like” symptoms were noticed soon after injection and persisted for 10 to 15 minutes. No alternations in blood constituents could be detected for the 30 days duration.