title: Preliminary study on the use of ceftazidime, a broad spectrum cephalosporin antibiotic, in snakes.
abstract: Ceftazidime, a broad spectrum cephalosporin antibiotic with an enhanced anti-pseudomonal activity, was tested in vitro against a variety of reptilian bacterial isolates. Blood concentrations of this antibiotic were determined in clinically ill snakes following an intramuscular injection at a dose rate of 20 mg kg-1. Peak plasma levels of up to 70.5 micrograms ml-1 were reached one to eight hours after the injection and therapeutic plasma levels were maintained for at least 96 hours. A series of snakes treated with ceftazidime at a dose rate of 20 mg kg-1 every 72 hours showed a rapid and obvious clinical response to treatment. The snakes were maintained at 30 degrees C during treatment and the effect of environmental temperature on antibiotic half-life is discussed. Ceftazidime proved to be a highly active antibiotic against the bacteria known to cause disease in reptiles, with no obvious adverse effects having been so far described.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D002442:Ceftazidime; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular / Q000662:veterinary; D012911:Snakes; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002511:Cephalosporins; D002442:Ceftazidime