Abstract | OBJECTIVE: ANIMALS: 6 healthy Asian elephants (5 females and 1 male), 4.5 to 9 years old and weighing 1,646 to 2,438 kg. PROCEDURES:
Famciclovir was administered orally or rectally in accordance with an incomplete crossover design. Three treatment groups, each comprising 4 elephants, received single doses of famciclovir (5 mg/kg, PO, or 5 or 15 mg/kg, rectally); there was a minimum 12-week washout period between subsequent famciclovir administrations. Serial blood samples were collected after each administration. Samples were analyzed for famciclovir and penciclovir with a validated liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy assay. RESULTS:
Famciclovir was tolerated well for both routes of administration and underwent complete biotransformation to the active metabolite, penciclovir. Mean maximum plasma concentration of penciclovir was 1.3 μg/mL at 1.1 hours after oral administration of 5 mg/kg. Similar results were detected after rectal administration of 5 mg/kg. Mean maximum plasma concentration was 3.6 μg/mL at 0.66 hours after rectal administration of 15 mg/kg; this concentration was similar to results reported for humans receiving 7 mg/kg orally. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Juvenile Asian elephants are susceptible to elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus. Although most infections are fatal, case reports indicate administration of famciclovir has been associated with survival of 3 elephants. In Asian elephants, a dose of 8 to 15 mg of famciclovir/kg given orally or rectally at least every 8 hours may result in penciclovir concentrations that are considered therapeutic in humans.
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Authors | A Paige Brock, Ramiro Isaza, Robert P Hunter, Laura K Richman, Richard J Montali, Dennis L Schmitt, David E Koch, William A Lindsay |
Journal | American journal of veterinary research
(Am J Vet Res)
Vol. 73
Issue 12
Pg. 1996-2000
(Dec 2012)
ISSN: 1943-5681 [Electronic] United States |
PMID | 23176429
(Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
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Chemical References |
- Antiviral Agents
- penciclovir
- 2-Aminopurine
- Guanine
- Famciclovir
- Acyclovir
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Topics |
- 2-Aminopurine
(administration & dosage, analogs & derivatives, blood, pharmacokinetics)
- Acyclovir
(administration & dosage, analogs & derivatives, blood, pharmacokinetics)
- Administration, Oral
- Administration, Rectal
- Animals
- Antiviral Agents
(administration & dosage, blood, pharmacokinetics)
- Area Under Curve
- Chromatography, Liquid
- Cross-Over Studies
- Elephants
(metabolism)
- Famciclovir
- Female
- Guanine
- Half-Life
- Male
- Mass Spectrometry
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