Antibiotic residues in goats milk following intramammary treatment

Two lactational intramammary antibiotic preparations (cloxacillin and oxytetracycline) were each used to treat eight goats by intramammary infusion in one half. The rate of release of the antibiotics was monitored by a diffusion assay based on the sensitive organism Bacillus stearothermophilus var. calidolactis. Cloxacillin was still detectable 156 hours after the final treatment while oxytetracycline was undetectable 108 hours following treatment. A small but significant amount of antibiotic was translocated between treated and untreated halves of the udder in both cases.