Cephalosporins are an important class of
antibacterial agents in use today for both humans and animals. Four generations of
cephalosporins have evolved, all of which contain the
beta-lactam sub-structure first found in
penicillin. The range of
cephalosporins available for use in food-producing animals, which is the subject of this review, is limited compared to humans. A few first- and
second-generation cephalosporins are approved worldwide strictly for treatment of
mastitis infections in dairy cattle. A
third-generation cephalosporin,
ceftiofur, and a fourth-generation
cephalosporin,
cefquinome, have been developed strictly for veterinary use.
Cefquinome has been approved in several countries for the treatment of respiratory disease in cattle and swine,
foot rot in cattle and for
mastitis in dairy cattle.
Ceftiofur has worldwide approvals for respiratory disease in swine, ruminants (cattle, sheep and goats) and horses and has also been approved for
foot rot and metritis
infections in cattle.
Ceftiofur has also been approved in various countries for early mortality
infections in day-old chicks and turkey poults. This review summarizes
cephalosporin use in general terms, and provides an overview of
ceftiofur, in terms of its spectrum of activity, indications, metabolism, and degradation in the environment. The safety of
ceftiofur is also reviewed, with respect to food-animal residues, rapid metabolism and degradation, and non-persistence of
ceftiofur in the environment. The environmental fragility of
cephalosporins have not been explored generally, but may be an important characteristic of this
antibiotic class with respect to safety of use in animals.