Effects of Food and Nutritional Status of Animals on Antimicrobial Drug Disposition

Abstract

Interaction of any drug with nutritional components is an important clinical phenomenon having significant impact on therapeutic prognosis of diseased animals. Drug-Nutrient Interactions (DNIs) occur either directly between drug and nutrient or indirectly between drug and nutritional status or vice-versa. Antimicrobials being the largest segment of veterinary pharmaceuticals used clinically need special attention in this aspect. Abnormal nutritional status including protein-energy malnutrition and obesity has great impact on drug disposition. Foods may affect the disposition processes of antimicrobial drugs and their negative clinical impact can be minimized by correcting nutritional status, altering time interval between administration of drug and food, or by adjusting dosage regimen. Thus, proper knowledge of such interactions is indispensable to minimize harmful effects like therapeutic failure, emergence of antimicrobial resistance, nutritional adversities and drug-toxicities.