Persistence of chloramphenicol residues in calf tissues

Twenty-one 5 to 18 day old calves were administered 11 mg chloramphenicol in propylene glycol per kg body weight intramuscularly twice daily for three days. Groups of calves were euthanized with a barbiturate overdose at 5, 21, 42 and 70 days after the last dose was administered. Serum, kidney, analyzed for the drug using a quantitative gas chromatographic method with a detection limit of five parts per billion. After five days of withdrawal, chloramphenicol was detected in all the injection sites and in 6 out of 16 of the other samples. After 21 days of withdrawal, chloramphenicol was detected in all the injection sites and in one each of the serum, liver and muscle samples. After 42 days of withdrawal, chloramphenicol was detected in the injection sites only, and after 70 days of withdrawal it was not detected in any of the samples.