Concentrations of tinidazole in breast milk

Ornidazole Transfer into Colostrum and Assessment of Exposure Risk for Breastfeeding Infant: A Population Pharmacokinetic Analysis

Ornidazole is frequently used for the prevention and treatment of anaerobic infections after caesarean section. There is still a lack of data on the excretion of ornidazole in breast milk. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the transfer of ornidazole into colostrum and to assess the risk of infant exposure to the drug via breast milk. Population pharmacokinetic analysis was conducted using datasets of plasma and milk concentrations obtained from 77 breastfeeding women to examine the excretion kinetics of ornidazole. Various factors that may affect the excretion of ornidazole were investigated. The final model was then used to simulate ornidazole concentration-time profiles in both plasma and milk. The drug exposure in body fluids and the potential risk for breastfeeding were assessed based on the safety threshold. Plasma ornidazole concentration data could be described well by a one-compartment model, and concentrations in breast milk were linked to this model using an estimated milk-to-plasma concentration ratio (MPRcon). Significant variables that influenced drug exposure and MPRcon were identified as total bilirubin levels (TBIL) and postnatal sampling time, respectively. Simulations showed that women with abnormal liver function (TBIL > 17 μmol/L) had higher ornidazole levels in plasma and milk than those with normal liver function (TBIL < 17 μmol/L), but the exposures through colostrum of lactating women from both groups were below the safety threshold. This work provides a simple and feasible strategy for the prediction of drug exposure in breast milk and the assessment of breastfeeding safety.

Antibiotics and lactation: An overview of relative infant doses and a systematic assessment of clinical studies

Breastfeeding is important for the development of the child. Many antibiotics are considered safe during breastfeeding. The aim of the study was to assess the quality of lactation studies with antibiotics using the FDA and International Lactation Consultant Association quality guidelines for lactation studies. The secondary goal was to determine the exposure of the breastfed infant to antibiotics in relation to bacterial resistance and the developing microbiome. A literature search was performed and the included studies were scored on methodology, parameters concerning maternal exposure to antibiotics, maternal plasma and milk sampling. The infant exposure has been calculated and expressed as a percentage of a normal infant therapeutic dose. Sixty-six studies were included in five antibiotic groups (broad-spectrum penicillin, cephalosporins, macrolides and lincosamides, quinolones and sulphonamides). Cephalosporins were the most studied group of antibiotics (n = 21). Fifteen studies met all the criteria of "mother exposure to antibiotic". Six studies met every criterion related to "plasma sampling". Only one case report met all listed criteria for lactation studies. The correct calculation of infant exposure to antibiotics via the milk:plasma ratio (AUC) varies between 13% for macrolides and 38% for broad-spectrum penicillin. The highest assessed exposure as a percentage of infant therapeutic dose was for metronidazole (11%). The studies meet to a limited extent with the quality standards for lactation research. The breastfed infants are exposed to a subtherapeutic concentration of antibiotics.

Pharmacological aspects of the antibiotics used for urological diagnostic procedures

Surgical antimicrobial prophylaxis is the use of an antibiotic before, during, or shortly after a urological procedure to prevent postoperative infections such as urinary tract or wound infection. The optimal antimicrobial drug must be microbiologically active against the most frequent potential pathogens and have good pharmacological properties. Correct timing of antimicrobial prophylaxis is the first critical issue in determining treatment efficacy. The antibiotic must be administered before the start of the surgical procedure in order to ensure a high tissue level at the time of microbial contamination. If using an oral antibiotic, this must be administered 1-3 hours before the operation and a parenteral antibiotic should be administered at the induction of anaesthesia. The antibiotics potentially useful for antimicrobial prophylaxis are the beta-lactams, cotrimoxazole, fluoroquinolones, and fosfomycin trometamol. The criteria for choosing the optimal antibiotic include an appropriate antimicrobial spectrum, favourable pharmacokinetic parameters (especially good tissue penetration), and elevated safety or tolerability. The use of cotrimoxazole must be restricted due to increasing chemoresistance. Unfortunately fluoroquinolone-based regimens, once the mainstay of prophylaxis guidelines, are increasingly ineffective due to a constant increase in multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacteria. The same concerns apply with regard to the second and third generation cephalosporins that have problems of resistance and, if administered orally, do not sufficiently penetrate prostatic tissue. An appropriate beta-lactam could be an aminopenicillin combined with a beta-lactamase inhibitor. Fosfomycin trometamol can also be a good potential choice due to its elevated activity against MDR Gram-negative bacteria and its favourable pharmacokinetic parameters, including an elevated penetration into prostatic tissue.

Pharmacokinetics of tinidazole in the horse

Serum tinidazole concentrations were monitored in five clinically healthy adult horses after intravenous (i.v.) and oral administration of the drug (15 mg/kg and 25 mg/kg, respectively). After i.v. administration, the mean residence time was 7.0 h, the elimination half-life 5.2 h and the body clearance rate 1.6 ml/min/kg. The distribution volume was found to be 660 ml/kg. After oral administration, the mean residence time was 8.5 h, the absorption half-life 1.1 h and the bioavailability essentially 100%. In view of the in-vitro sensitivities of various anaerobic bacteria, a dosage of 10-15 mg/kg of tinidazole, orally, at 12-h intervals, can be recommended for the treatment of anaerobic infections in horses.

Concentrations of metronidazole and tinidazole in female reproductive organs after a single intravenous infusion and after repeated oral administration

Concentrations of metronidazole and tinidazole in serum and gynecological organs were analyzed after a single 500 mg intravenous infusion and after three days of treatment with 400 mg t.i.d. of metronidazole or 500 mg b.i.d. of tinidazole. The studies were performed in 67 patients subjected to hysterectomy and/or oophorectomy because of myomatosis uteri, carcinoma uteri or endometriosis. At the time of organ removal (about 30 min after infusion), metronidazole and tinidazole levels in serum were 14.5 +/- 0.45 mg/l and 12.3 +/- 0.38 mg/l, respectively. Concentrations of both drugs in the uterus and Fallopian tube were about the same as the simultaneous serum levels and concentrations in the ovaries about 55% thereof. At steady-state, the concentrations of tinidazole in serum (23.5 +/- 1.0 mg/l) were remarkably higher than those of metronidazole (13.5 +/- 0.84 mg/l) about three hours after the last oral dose. Drug concentrations in organs of the female reproductive tract were 70 to 100% those of the simultaneous serum levels.