SUBACUTE TOXICITY OF AN AMOXICILLIN-BASED ANTIBACTERIAL PREPARATION IN PIGS UPON REPEATED ADMINISTRATION

The article presents the results of a study of the subacute toxicity of the veterinary drug «Amoksidev 60» in pigs under conditions of repeated administration. «Amoksidev 60» is an antibacterial veterinary drug for systemic use, the active ingredient of which is amoxicillin. Amoxicillin is a semi-synthetic antibiotic from the group of aminopenicillins. It is active against gram-positive (Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Actinomyces spp., Clostridium spp., Erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae, Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus anthracis, Corynebacterium spp.) and some gram-negative microorganisms (Salmonella spp., Pasteurella spp., Haemophilus spp., Actinobacillus spp., Bordetella bronchiseptica, E. coli, Fusobacterium spp., Moraxella spp., Proteus mirabilis). Amoxicillin is not effective against strains that produce beta-lactamase. The mechanism of action of amoxicillin is to disrupt the formation of the cell wall of vegetative forms of bacteria by irreversible blocking of penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) – enzymes carboxypeptidases and transpeptidases. The drug is used to treat poultry and pigs for diseases of the digestive tract and respiratory organs caused by microorganisms sensitive to amoxicillin. Oral administration of the drug «Amoksidev 60» (based on amoxicillin) to piglets with drinking water at doses of 20,0 and 100,0 mg/kg body weight for 10 days does not cause hemo-, hepato- and nephrotoxic effects on the target animals under the conditions of a subacute toxicological experiment. However, when the drug was administered at a dose of 200,0 mg/kg body weight 10 days after the start of the experiment, a decrease in the level of total hemoglobin by 6,4%, hematocrit by 5,9%, and the number of erythrocytes by 13,4% (p<0,05) was recorded in the blood of pigs. At the same time, an increase in the activity of ALT, AST and urea concentration by 25,7%, 21,6% and 10,2% (p<0,05), respectively, was noted in the blood serum. However, 7 days after the cessation of administration of the drug «Amoksidev 60» with drinking water in a 10-fold dose, hematological and biochemical blood parameters of pigs did not differ from control values. The prospects of further research will be focused on the analysis of the long-term effect of «Amoksidev 60» on the animal body. In particular, it is planned to investigate possible long-term toxic effects with prolonged use of the drug. In addition, an assessment of the cumulative effect during repeated courses of treatment is provided.