Interspecies variations in plasma half-life of ampicillin, amoxycillin, sulphadimidine and sulphacetamide related to variations in body mass.

The relationships between the half-lives during the elimination phase (t1/2 minutes) of ampicillin, amoxycillin, sulphadimidine and sulphacetamide and body mass (W, kg) between species of mammals and birds were examined using data from the authors' experiments and collected from the literature. Linear regression of the log half-lives of ampicillin, amoxycillin and sulphadimidine following intravenous injection on the log body mass for a variety of species of mammals and birds revealed significant correlations (r = 0.7709, n = 8, r = 0.7712, n = 8, r = 0.7749, n = 10). The interspecies relationships were described by the allometric equations t1/2 = 31.3 W0.16, t1/2 = 32.7 W0.12 and t1/2 = 129.2 W0.28, respectively. These equations may be of value for estimating dose intervals in species for which no relevant pharmacokinetic data are available.