Pharmacokinetics of three sulphonamides in ruminant and preruminant kids.
The pharmacokinetic properties of three sulphonamides were determined in ruminant and preruminant kids after oral and intravenous administration. First, sulphisomidine (SIM, 50 mg kg-1) and sulphadoxine (SDX, 30 mg kg-1) were given to seven kids, 10 to 12 weeks old, while on a milk replacer diet and again at 15 to 18 weeks when fed roughage. Secondly, SIM (100 mg kg-1) and sulphadimidine (SDD, 100 mg kg-1) were given at six to nine, 12 to 15 and 18 to 21 weeks old to eight kids, of which four were fed milk replacer and four were with their mothers (with access to roughage) until 15 weeks, after which all were fed roughage only. SDX and SDD exhibited non-linear (or capacity limited) absorption after oral dosage, suggesting possible active absorption mechanisms, and both drugs also showed non-linear elimination. Intravenous curves for SDD and SIM indicated that recycling occurred. With SDX, ruminant kids showed poorer systemic availability after oral dosage, shorter t1/2(el) and higher B than did preruminants. For SDD, ruminant kids had lower Vd and higher B than preruminants. SIM's t1/2(el) tended to shorten and beta to increase in both groups throughout the experiment. Not all differences between ruminants and preruminants in sulphonamide pharmacokinetics could be explained by the accumulation of acidic forestomach contents and the change of urine pH from acid to alkaline in the maturing ruminant. Other potential contributing factors require investigation, including possible alterations in hepatic drug metabolism. Of the three drugs tested, SDX might be the most satisfactory for therapeutic use in preruminant animals, because it has good bioavailability after oral administration and long t1/2(el).
Some aspects of drug persistence in domestic animals.
The influence of urinary pH upon the persistence within the body of various sulphonamide compounds was studied in dogs, calves and pigs. Urinary pH values of 6.o and 8.o were aimed at by adjustment of dietary regimens. The sensitivity of a sulphonamide to pH change is determined by the pKa of the drug. Acidification of the urine increases the persistence of pH sensitive sulphonamides by increasing the proportion of the lipid-soluble non-ionised fraction of the drug in the renal tubular fluid and thus the amount available for tubular reabsorption. Urinary alkalinisatiou minimises back-diffusion. The normal acid urinary reaction of dogs together with their inability to acetylate sulphonamides may largely contribute to the longer persistence of these compounds in dogs as compared with other species of domestic animals.
Spatial distribution of root lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) in a long-term no-till cropping system and their relationship with soil and landscape properties
The Cook Agronomy Farm of Washington State University is a long-term precision agriculture study site. Since 2000, the farm has been in various three-year no-till rotations with winter wheat, spring wheat, and various rotation crops such as barley, canola, peas, lentils, and chickpea. The spatial distribution of root lesion nematodes (Pratylenchus spp.) and their relationships with soil and terrain variables were studied by collecting soil samples at 127 and 124 geo-referenced points in two 12-ha fields during the spring of 2010 and 2011, respectively. Pratylenchus spp. were detected in more than 85% of the sampled locations in both fields. Nematode densities spatially mapped using ArcGIS software occurred in an aggregated pattern. Previous rotation crops had no effect on the spatial distribution. Classification and regression tree analysis (CART) using soil and terrain variables, and nematode density, explained 61 and 34% of the variability associated with nematode density in 2010 and 2011, respectively. Soil edaphic factors, such as organic matter, were stronger predictors of nematode populations than rotation effects.