Sulfamerazine and Sulfamethazine Blood Levels in Turkeys

WHEN therapeutic doses of sulfamerazine for cecal coccidiosis in chickens were determined the question arose as to whether or not such doses were favorable for turkeys poults. Consequently, blood level studies were made during the administration of varying dosages of sulfamerazine and sulfamethazine to young turkey poults. Thorp et al. (1947) reported some blood levels of free sulfamerazine in chickens in a paper on the chemotherapy of cecal coccidiosis. Sodium sulfamerazine administered in a concentration of 0.2 percent in water for five days resulted in an average blood concentration of 13.68 mg. of free sulfamerazine per 100 ml. The feeding of a 1.0 percent sulfamerazine mash gave an average blood level of 27.68 mg. of free drug per 100 ml. of blood while a 0.25 percent concentration of sulfamerazine in mash resulted in an average of 8.26 mg. of free drug per 100 ml. of blood during a five-day treatment. . . .