Serum concentrations of penicillin in the horse after administration of a variety of penicillin preparations.

This research study investigates how different types of penicillin medications, when administered intravenously and intramuscularly, affect the penicillin serum levels in horses. It concludes with suggested dosage plans for each type of medication.

Study Design and Execution

• The experiment was carried out on twelve geldings (castrated male horses) with the objective of determining the serum level changes of penicillin upon the administration of benzylpenicillin, procaine penicillin, and fortified benzathine penicillin.
• These medications were administered in different manners: intravenously (iv) and intramuscularly (im).
• The dosage was also varied in order to observe any co-relations with the serum concentration of the drug.
• To measure and record the effects, blood samples of the horses were collected for a period of 7 hours subsequent to administering the different forms of penicillin. Fortified benzathine penicillin, however, necessitated prolonged monitoring.
• These results were statistically analyzed using techniques like variance analysis and regression analyses.

Data Analysis and Recommendations

• The regression analysis particularly aimed to calculate the time taken for the serum penicillin concentration to reduce to 0.5 micrograms/ml.
• Based on the observations and analyses, researchers suggested dosage regimes for each drug.
• For Benzylpenicillin, it was recommended that it should be administered intramuscularly at a dosage of 10,000 iu/kg at the beginning of treatment.
• Procaine penicillin should have an administration rate of 15,000 iu/kg every 12 hours or 30,000 iu/kg every 24 hours. In the event of serious infections, it should be used concomitantly with 10,000 iu/kg of benzylpenicillin to commence therapy.
• As per the research, fortified benzathine penicillin didn’t show much value in treating the horses, suggesting it does not perform effectively as an antimicrobial therapy for this animal.