Delivery strategies to improve piglets exposure to oral antibiotics

The widespread practice of delivering antibiotics through drinking water to livestock leads to considerable variability in exposure levels among animals, raising concerns regarding disease outbreaks and the emergence of antibiotic resistance. This variability is primarily driven by three pivotal factors: fluctuations in drug concentration within water pipes, variances in drinking behavior among animals, and differences in individual pharmacokinetic parameters. This article introduces an approach aimed at improving medication distribution by customizing it according to the drinking patterns of pigs, without escalating the medication dose. As examples, we demonstrate that incorporating the drinking behavior into the delivery of amoxicillin results in an increase in the percentage of piglets reaching an AUC/MIC ratio greater than 25h. Specifically, with Pasteurella multocida, the percentage rises from 30% to at least 60%, while with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae, it increases from 20% to more than 70%.