Tag: Phenicol

Chloramphenicol, sometimes known as Phenicol, is an antibiotic with a significant risk of severe adverse effects, with fatal aplastic anemia estimated to occur in up to 1 in 24,500 treatment courses. Therefore, it is critical to understand what are the side effects of Phenicol and why its use is strictly limited to serious, life-threatening infections when safer alternatives are not available or effective.

Originally isolated from the soil bacterium *Streptomyces venezuelae* in the 1940s, Phenicol capsules, which contain the active ingredient chloramphenicol, are a potent, broad-spectrum antibiotic reserved for serious, life-threatening bacterial infections where safer alternatives are ineffective or contraindicated. Its use has become highly restricted due to the potential for severe side effects.

Phenicols are a class of broad-spectrum antibiotics that inhibit bacterial protein synthesis by interfering with the 50S ribosomal subunit. The therapeutic and safety profiles for the various members of this class, such as chloramphenicol and florfenicol, differ significantly, dictating their specific applications in human and veterinary medicine.