Fate of Eprinomectin in Goat Milk and Cheeses with Different Ripening Times following Pour-On Administration

Abstract

The distribution of eprinomectin in goat milk and cheeses (cacioricotta, caciotta, caprilisco) with different ripening times following a pour-on administration at a single dose rate (500 μg/kg of body weight) and a double dose rate (1,000 μg/kg of body weight) to goats with naturally occurring infections of gastrointestinal nematodes was studied. Milk residues of eprinomectin reached a maximum of 0.55 ± 0.18 μg/kg and 1.70 ± 0.31 μg/kg at the single and double doses, respectively. The drug concentrations decreased progressively until the fifth day after treatment, when they were less than the detection limit at both dose rates. The eprinomectin levels measured in all cheese types (both treatments) were higher than those recovered in milk at all the sampling times. In caciotta cheeses, the eprinomectin residues levels were constantly higher than other cheeses. With the exception of cheeses made with milk the first day after treatment, eprinomectin concentrations were nearly constant up to the fourth day then decreased by the fifth and sixth days after treatment. In all cases, at both the single and double dosages, the maximum level of eprinomectin residues in goat milk and cheeses remained below the maximum residual level of 20 μg/liter permitted for lactating cattle.