Study of enrofloxacin and flumequine residues depletion in eggs of laying hens after oral administration.

Two groups of laying hens (each n=12) were administered 10 mg/kg enrofloxacin (ENRO) (group A) or 26.6 mg/kg flumequine (FLU) (group B) by gastric catheter daily for five consecutive days. A third group (n=6) was untreated controls. Eggs were collected from day one of treatment and up to 30 days after withdrawal of the drug. Egg white and yolk from each egg were separated, and ENRO, its metabolite ciprofloxacin (CIP) and FLU residues were analysed by a high-performance liquid chromatography method with fluorescence detection. The sum of ENRO and CIP was detectable in egg white on the first day of treatment in high-level concentrations (2007.7 μg/kg) and remained steady during administration. In egg yolk, residues were detectable at day one in lower concentrations (324.4 μg/kg), increasing to the end of treatment. After treatment, these residues decreased and were detectable up to day 8 in egg white, and day 10 in yolk. FLU residues during drug administration in white were detectable in high concentrations from day one to five (6788.4-6525.9 μg/kg), and in yolk, concentrations were lower during administration (629.6-853.9 μg/kg). After drug withdrawal, FLU residues remained longer in egg white (30 days) than in yolk (26 days). For both drugs, differences of concentrations between matrices were significant.