The European Medicines Agency (EMA) obliges EU members to report of on sales/distribution of veterinary medicinal products (VMP) at a national level. In addition to this mandatory route, a research project based on a questionnaire of 109 practitioner veterinarians representing all regions of Poland has been carried out. The results of statistical analysis of antimicrobial agents used by the probed veterinarians to treat swine and cattle have been completed for 2010. The data were expressed according to recommendations of EMA as the weight mass of pharmacologically active substances within the antibiotic groups. The responder reports placed the tetracycline group as the most frequent agent used in the swine treatments; weight amounts scored 49.1% of total antimicrobials. The penicillin group amounted to 25.7%, followed by macrolides (8.1%) and sulfonamides (5.9%). Aminoglicosides, pleuromutylines and fluoroquinolones usage numbered 3.0%, 2.95% and 2.8%, respectively. Whereas in cattle the prevalence was of penicillins (35.2%), followed by sulfonamides (33.5%), tetracycline (15.9%), aminoglicoside (9.6%), fluoroquinolone (3.5%) and macrolide (1.5%) were recorded. A similar trend of antimicrobial agents consumption was observed in statistics from the countries neighboring Poland in the south; however, when compared to Scandinavia countries it differed. Analysis of the data for antimicrobial agents make it possible to evaluate the prudent use of antibiotics and sulfonamides in Poland. In case of fluoroquinolone, the low figures situated this group in the second line order of antibiotics administered to swine, since they were used as the fifth group of antimicrobials in cattle.
The concentrations of amoxicillin in pig plasma were determined by HPLC technique. Separation was achieved on a Lichrocart 250 x 4 mm Purospher column and detection was performed with a fluorescence detector. The mobile phase consisted of a mixture of acetonitrile with buffer solution (0.05 M KH₂PO₄, pH 5.6) delivered by a isocratic programme. For amoxicilin assay, the plasma samples were exposed to reaction with formaldehyde under acidic and heating conditions. The limit of detection and quantification, as well as the accuracy and precision of the method were evaluated from spiked plasma samples at concentration levels ranging from 10 to 500 ng‧mL⁻¹. Recovery of spiked amoxicillin was >91%, with coefficient of variation equals 0.12%. This method offers a rapid, repeatable, and accurate procedure and has been useful for determination of pharmacokinetic parameters of amoxicillin in pigs’ and poultry plasma.