Chloramphenicol risk assessment

Chloramphenicol is an antibiotic compound firstly isolated from the bacteria Streptomyces venequelae and nowadays synthetically produced. It is used as a large spectrum antibiotic (its main use, especially in meningitis conditions and other severe infections) and the entrance in human system can be made by capsules or liquid administration via oral, eyes or intravenous pathway. But unwanted or incidental exposure routes of chloramphenicol can occur from contaminated enzyme-based food supplements and from plants due to the presence of the Streptomyces venequelae bacteria in the cultivating soils. Its natural presence in foods has little evidence (the detection in food of animal origin is often related with the diet of the animals (contaminated grass). In medicine, in certain doses, chloramphenicol affects bacteria ribosomes unable them to perform peptide binding during the new protein synthesis which stops the cells metabolism and lead to the cell death. The patients with a protocol of chloramphenicol treatment are monitored regularly, during the intake, to assess the blood cells levels because if aplastic anemia occurs it is a serious and fatal condition with no cure and that is difficult to predict previously. From state of art studies seems to be unlikely that chloramphenicol post health concern effects for aplastic anemia and reproductive/hepatotoxicity. No conclusion can be drawn regarding the potential carcinogenicity of chloramphenicol because of the lack of appropriate and well-documented long-term studies, in humans.