Observations on the Infusion of Penicillin in the Mammary Gland of the Goat

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Abstract
An udder infusion study was conducted in the University of Illinois dairy herd with 20 French Alpine dairy goats to determine: (1) The persistence of penicillin following intramammary infusion, (2) the effect of standard oil or water-base materials, (3) if differences exist between early and late lactation, and (4) if there is a transfer of penicillin from the infused to the non-infused half of the udder. When oil suspension was used, milk from the infused quarter of half the animals had detectable quantities of penicillin for as long as 96 hr. At 60 hr. post-infusion the milk of one animal given penicillin in aqueous solution contained penicillin. When the experiments were repeated in early lactation (72 days in milk) rather than late lactation (246 days post-partum), the antibiotic persisted for 98 and 108 hr., respectively. Younger does (first lactation) retained the infused penicillin for a shorter time than older does (2nd through 5th lactation). When all does were checked in early and late lactation for the transfer of penicillin from the infused to the non-infused side, there was no measurable transfer of the antibiotic (sensitivity of 0.05 I.U./ml of milk).