User:Mr. Ibrahem/Chloramphenicol

Chloramphenicol is an antibiotic useful for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections. This includes use as an eye ointment to treat conjunctivitis. By mouth or by injection into a vein, it is used to treat meningitis, plague, cholera, and typhoid fever. Its use by mouth or by injection is only recommended when safer antibiotics cannot be used. Monitoring both blood levels of the medication and blood cell levels every two days is recommended during treatment.

Common side effects include nausea, and diarrhea. Rarely bone marrow suppression may occur which may result in death. To reduce the risk of side effects treatment duration should be as short as possible. People with liver or kidney problems may need lower doses. In young children a condition known as gray baby syndrome may occur which results in a swollen stomach and low blood pressure. Its use near the end of pregnancy and during breastfeeding is typically not recommended. Chloramphenicol is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that typically stops bacterial growth by stopping the production of proteins.

Chloramphenicol was discovered after being isolated from Streptomyces venezuelae in 1947. Its chemical structure was identified and it was first artificially made in 1949, making it the first antibiotic to be made instead of extracted from a micro-organism. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. It is available as a generic medication. The wholesale cost in the developing world of an intravenous dose is about US$0.40–1.90. In the United States an intravenous dose costs about $41.47.