ABSTRACT
Chloramphenicol was the first broad-spectrum antibiotic to be discovered and has been in clinical use since 1949. Although justifiably described as “no longer the drug of choice for any specific infection” (Balbi, 2004), chloramphenicol remains an inexpensive drug effective against a wide range of bacteria, including Gram-positive, Gram-negative, aerobic, and anaerobic bacteria, as well as chlamydiae, coxiellae, leptospirae, mycoplasmae, rickettsiae, and treponemae. It is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as an option for the treatment of meningitis, meningococcal sepsis, osteoarthritis, and pyomyositis in children in low-income countries, and is included on their model list of essential medicines (World Health Organization, 2014).
