Cefovecin is a third-generation cephalosporin with potential value for use in exotic felids due to its long duration of action. A sparse sampling protocol was implemented with 18 zoo-housed cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of cefovecin (Convenia^®) after a single 8 mg/kg intramuscular injection. Blood was collected serially for 15 days following administration, and plasma cefovecin concentrations were determined using high-pressure liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection. Pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated using population pharmacokinetic methods and non-linear mixed effects modeling (NLME). Cefovecin was well tolerated by all cats, with no adverse effects observed. Peak plasma cefovecin concentration was 84.75 µg/ml, with a mean residence time of 207.9 h and an elimination half-life of 144.1 h (6.00 days). Plasma concentrations of cefovecin were maintained >7 µg/ml in all individuals for the entire study duration (15 days). These concentrations are lower, and the half-life slightly shorter, than the values reported for domestic cats. Cefovecin was highly protein-bound (approximately 99.9%) in cheetah plasma, which is nearly identical to domestic cats. These results indicate that cefovecin is potentially useful as a long-acting antibiotic in cheetahs.

中文翻译：

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头孢菌素在猎豹（Acinonyx jubatus）中单次肌肉注射后的药代动力学

头孢菌素是第三代头孢菌素，由于其作用持续时间长，因此具有用于外来猫科动物的潜在价值。对 18 只动物园饲养的猎豹 ( Acinonyx jubatus )实施了稀疏采样协议，以评估头孢菌素 (Convenia ^®) 单次 8 mg/kg 肌内注射后。给药后连续采血15天，用紫外检测高压液相色谱法测定血浆头孢菌素浓度。使用群体药代动力学方法和非线性混合效应模型 (NLME) 估计药代动力学参数。所有猫对头孢菌素均耐受良好，未观察到任何不良反应。血浆头孢菌素峰值浓度为 84.75 µg/ml，平均停留时间为 207.9 小时，消除半衰期为 144.1 小时（6.00 天）。在整个研究期间（15 天），所有个体的头孢菌素血浆浓度保持 >7 µg/ml。这些浓度比家猫报告的值低，半衰期略短。头孢维星在猎豹血浆中的蛋白结合率很高（约 99.9%），这与家猫几乎相同。这些结果表明，头孢菌素作为猎豹的长效抗生素具有潜在的用途。