A sensitive chromatographic method is described for the determination of antibiotic residues in tissues of chickens fed with spiramycin. Assays were performed on muscles, liver, and kidneys. At a dose level of 10 grams of spiramycin embónate per ton of food, residues (about 0.1 p.p.m.) were found only in the liver; their presence in the other organs, expressed in spiramycin activity, was therefore lower than 0.01 to 0.02 p.p.m. At a dose level of 100 grams per ton, small amounts of metabolites appeared in all the organs, and their approximate concentration was established. The antibiotic residues were identified as spiramycin, neospiramycin, and polar derivatives of neospiramycin. The metabolic pathways which may be involved in the transformation of spiramycin are discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.