Pharmacokinetics of Oxytetracycline in Nile Tilapia Oreodromis niloticus Challenged with Streptococcus iniae and Vibrio vulnificus

Tissue depletion studies of antibacterials are an important part of data packages required to obtain a label from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States for use of therapeutants in food fishes. Currently, withdrawal tima are set based on results of such studies obtained from healthy animals. Bacterial infection can lead to dramatic physiological changes in affected fish. In this investigation, the impact of bacterial infection on depletion kinetics of oxytetracycline (OTC) was examined in tilapia Oreochromis niloticus challenged with Streptococcus iniae (a model Gram positive bacterium) or Vibrio vulnificus (a model Gram negative bacterium). An additional group of fish injected with Brain Heart Infusion (BHI) broth was included as a non-infectious stimulus. Although some differences in elimination kinetics of OTC were observed between treated fish and non-treated controls, OTC was rapidly eliminated from tilapia in all groups. In all cases, mean concentration of OTC was below the current 2.0 ppm (μg/g) FDA tolerance for OTC in the edible portion (muscle plus skin) after day 3 postdosing.