Pharmacokinetic aspects of penicillins, aminoglycosides and chloramphenicol in birds compared to mammals. A review

Based on a review of the literature, a comparison is made of the pharmacokinetics of penicillins, aminoglycosides, and chloramphenicol in birds and mammals. Penicillins in birds are likely to be more dependent for their elimination on biotransformation than in mammals. Amoxycillin had a relatively low availability (0.34) after p.o. administration. Higher doses (2 to 8 times) were needed to achieve the same peak levels in birds and mammals. Aminoglycosides, which for their elimination largely depend on renal excretion by glomerular filtration, show only minor differences in pharmacokinetics between birds and mammals. Chloramphenicol is mainly excreted after biotransformation and large differences in pharmacokinetic parameters are to be found, not only between birds and mammals, but also between avian species.