PHARMACOKINETICS, BIOAVAILABILITY AND DOSAGE REGIMEN OF SULFADIAZINE (SDZ) IN CAMELS (CAMELUS-DROMEDARIUS)

The pharmacokinetics of sulphadiazine (SDZ) (100 mg/kg, body weight) w ere investigated in six camels (Camelus dromedarius) after intravenous (i.v.) and oral (p.o.) administration. Following i.v. administration, the overall elimination rate constant (beta) was 0.029 +/- 0.001/h an d the half-life (t(1/2 beta)) was 23.14 +/- 1.06 h. The apparent volum e of distribution (Vd((area))) was 0.790 +/- 0.075 L/kg and the total body clearance (Cl-B) was 23.29 +/- 2.50 mL/h/kg. After p.o. administr ation, SDZ reached a peak plasma concentration (C-max(cal.)) of 62.93 +/- 2.79 mu g/mL at a post injection time of (T-max(cal.)) 22.98 +/- 0 .83 h. The elimination half-life was 19.79 +/- 1.22 h, not significant ly different from that obtained by the i.v. route. The mean absorption rate constant (K-a) was 0.056 +/- 0.002 h(-1) and the mean absorption half-life (t(1/2Ka)) was 12.33 +/- 0.37 h. The mean availability (F) of sulphadiazine was 88.2 +/- 6.2%. To achieve and maintain therapeuti cally satisfactory plasma SDZ levels of greater than or equal to 50 mu g/mL, the priming and maintenance doses would be 80 mg/kg and 40 mg/k g intravenously and 90 mg/kg and 45 mg/kg orally, respectively, to be repeated at 24 h intervals.