[Pharmacokinetics of sulfamerazine after a single intravenous dose in healthy calves and calves with diarrhea of different severity with consideration of the influence of an existing kidney function restriction].

Blood levels of Sulfamerazine were examined in 16 calves with different severity of diarrhoea in consideration of kidney function and compared with the values of 5 clinically intact animals. Urea and creatinine levels in plasma as well as urea and creatine clearance were tested to check kidney function. A single dose of 60 mg Sulfamerazine/kg body weight was administered to all animals via catheter into the vena jugularis. Blood samples were collected for 48 hours. The mean concentration of Sulfamerazine in calves with severe diarrhoea was significantly higher 24 hours post application than in the healthy control group and in animals with low and middle intensive diarrhoea (healthy animals: 37.61 +/- 7.18 micrograms/ml; animals with severe diarrhoea: 57.3 +/- 7.5 micrograms/ml). Animals with severe diarrhoea showed significantly higher values of half life time of elimination t1/2 (healthy animals: 7.08 +/- 1.25 h; animals with severe diarrhoea: 11.39 +/- 2.11 h) and of area under the curve AUC (healthy animals: 2023.4 +/- 397.21 micrograms*h/ml; animals with severe diarrhoea: 2990.6 +/- 594.9 micrograms*h/ml) than the others. Low and middle intensive diarrhoea has no important influence on the pharmacokinetics of Sulfamerazine.