Florfenicol (marketed by Schering-Plough Animal Health under the trade name Nuflor) is a fluorinated synthetic analog of

thiamphenicol Thiamphenicol (also known as thiophenicol and dextrosulphenidol) is an antibiotic. It is the methyl-sulfonyl analogue of chloramphenicol and has a similar spectrum of activity, but is 2.5 to 5 times as potent. Like chloramphenicol, it is insolubl ...

, mainly used in

veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in animals. Along with this, it deals with animal rearing, husbandry, breeding, research on nutri ...

. As a

generic Generic or generics may refer to: In business * Generic term, a common name used for a range or class of similar things not protected by trademark * Generic brand, a brand for a product that does not have an associated brand or trademark, other ...

, it is now available worldwide.

Indications

In the United States, florfenicol is currently indicated for the treatment of

bovine respiratory disease Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is the most common and costly disease affecting beef cattle in the world. It is a complex, bacterial or viral infection that causes pneumonia in calves which can be fatal. The infection is usually a sum of three c ...

(BRD) associated with ''

Mannheimia ''Mannheimia'' is a Gram-negative, anaerobic, non-spore-forming and non-motile bacterial genus from the family Pasteurellaceae The Pasteurellaceae comprise a large family of Gram-negative bacteria. Most members live as commensals on mucosal ...

haemolytica'', ''

Pasteurella multocida ''Pasteurella multocida'' is a Gram-negative, nonmotile, penicillin-sensitive coccobacillus of the family Pasteurellaceae. Strains of the species are currently classified into five serogroups (A, B, D, E, F) based on capsular composition and ...

'', and ''

Histophilus somni ''Histophilus somni'' is a non-motile, gram-negative, rod or coccobacillus shaped, facultative anaerobe bacteria belonging to the family Pasteurellaceae. Prior to 2003, it was thought ''Haemophilus somnus'', ''Histophilus ovis'', and ''Histophi ...

'', for treatment of bovine interdigital

phlegmon A phlegmon is a localized area of acute inflammation of the soft tissues. It is a descriptive term which may be used for inflammation related to a bacterial infection or non-infectious causes (e.g. pancreatitis). Most commonly, it is used in co ...

(foot rot, acute interdigital necrobacillosis, infectious pododermatitis) associated with ''

Fusobacterium necrophorum ''Fusobacterium necrophorum'' is a species of bacteria responsible for Lemierre's syndrome and other medical problems. Biology ''F. necrophorum'' is a rod-shaped species of Gram-negative bacteria. It is an obligate anaerobe and is a common inh ...

'' and ''

Bacteroides melaninogenicus ''Prevotella melaninogenica'' is a species of bacterium in the normal microbiota of the upper respiratory tract. It is an important human pathogen in various anaerobic infections, often mixed with other aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. ''P. mel ...

''. Florfenicol is also used in

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. lot ...

, and is licensed for use in the United States for the control of enteric septicemia in

catfish Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive, ...

. Since the early 2000s, it is used in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, treating mainly primary or secondary colibacillosis in

broiler A broiler is any chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') that is bred and raised specifically for meat production. Most commercial broilers reach slaughter weight between four and six weeks of age, although slower growing breeds reach slaugh ...

and parent flocks. It is not allowed in laying hens, due to residues in eggs. It is also indicated in

turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...

. The use of florfenicol in horses, and likely in other equids, typically causes diarrhea. This has been anecdotally reported to progress to lethal cases of acute colitis. Therefore, use of this antimicrobial in the equine patient should be limited to cases in which other, safer, options are not available.

Contamination

Florfenicol was among the drug contaminants in a brand of supermarket eggs in Taiwan and Iran.

External links

Nuflor website

References

{{Amphenicols Amphenicols Benzosulfones Phenylethanolamines Organofluorides Acetamides Organochlorides