Pharmacokinetics of norfloxacin and its N-desethyl- and oxo-metabolites in broiler chickens.

Norfloxacin was given to 2 groups of chickens (8 chickens/group) at a dosage of 8 mg/kg of body weight, IV and orally. For 24 hours, plasma concentration was monitored serially after each administration. Another group of chickens (n = 30) was given 8 mg of norfloxacin/kg orally every 24 hours for 4 days, and plasma and tissue concentrations of norfloxacin and its major metabolites desethylenenorfloxacin and oxonorfloxacin were determined serially after the last administration of the drug. Plasma and tissue concentrations of norfloxacin, desethylenenorfloxacin, and oxonorfloxacin were measured by use of high-performance liquid chromatography. Pharmacokinetic variables were calculated, using a 2-compartment open model. For norfloxacin, the elimination half-life (t1/2 beta) and the mean +/- SEM residence time for plasma were 12.8 +/- 0.59 and 15.05 +/- 0.81 hours, respectively, after oral administration and 8.0 +/- 0.3 and 8.71 +/- 0.23 hours, respectively, after IV administration. After single oral administration, norfloxacin was absorbed rapidly, with Tmax of 0.22 +/- 0.02 hour. Maximal plasma concentration was 2.89 +/- 0.20 microgram/ml. Oral bioavailability of norfloxacin was found to be 57.0 +/- 2.4%. In chickens, norfloxacin was mainly converted to desethylenenorfloxacin and oxonorfloxacin. Norfloxacin parent drug and its 2 major metabolites were widely distributed in tissues. Considerable tissue concentrations of norfloxacin, desethylenenorfloxacin, and oxonorfloxacin were found when norfloxacin was administered orally (8 mg/kg on 4 successive days). The concentration of the parent fluoroquinolone in fat, kidneys, and liver was 0.05 micrograms/g on day 12 after the end of dosing.     

Diagnosis of avian encephalomyelitis

The diagnostic value of laboratory examination methods was assessed in the diagnosis of avian encephalomyelitis in seven to twenty-two days old chickens. Histological examination and immunofluorescent test are expedient methods meeting the requirements for timely application of infection-control measures. The agreement of histological examination with the over-all laboratory examination is 70 to 81% and the agreement of the immunofluorescence test is 76%. Bioassay on chickens followed by a histological examination appears to be the best method, providing results with the highest significance. However, it is lengthy, applicable to the necessary demonstration of a virus or to cases when the histological or immunofluorescence examinations are dubious. With the over-all laboratory evaluation the method shows agreement in 95 to 100% of cases. The diagnostic value of the method of virus isolation in chick embryos is reduced by the fact that intercurrent viruses (adenoviruses, IB and others) may be passaged at the same time.     

Nutrient digestibility and nitrogen utilization in lactating cows under restricted protein supply and subsequent refeeding

The effects of a 17% deficiency of crude protein for four weeks on nutrient digestibility and parameters of N metabolism were investigated using four pairs of monozygotic twin cows. During a period of realimentation of three weeks with slight nutrient oversupply and a further period of three weeks with nutrient supply adjusted to the lactation trend it was examined if residual effects remain. Protein restriction enhanced the excretion of fecal dry matter by 7.7%. Total fecal nitrogen was a high in the restricted group as in the control group. Apparent digestion coefficients for dry matter, organic matter and N-free extracts were lowered by 2 to 3 percent points with deficient protein nutrition. Crude fiber and nitrogen digestibilities declined by 4.5 and 9.8 percent points, respectively. The reduction of urine nitrogen excretion amounted to 47% as consequence of a drastically diminished nitrogen content of urine. Total nitrogen retention (milk-N and body-N) was lowered by 14%. The sum of the relative nitrogen losses via faeces and urine was not different between the protein-deficient and the normal diet. The utilization of feed nitrogen for milk nitrogen excretion was 28.2% in protein deficiency and 25.9% in control feeding. After realimentation no relevant residual effects of the previous protein deficiency were found neither with respect to nutrient digestibility nor to parameters of the nitrogen balance. So far the observed permanent effect in reduced milk yield by 6% of the expected performance can not be explained with changes in digestibility or nitrogen balance.