Chloramphenicol in the Newborn Infant

DURING the past few years there has been much concern regarding the increased incidence of nursery infections. This has resulted in the widespread use of antibiotics for prophylaxis as well as for therapy. The variable response of hospital strains of micro-organisms led to a gradual increase in the size of doses being administered. Chloramphenicol has proved to be an effective agent in this field, but doses higher than those recommended for older subjects have been used in many cases. Associated with these high doses of chloramphenicol, several pediatric centers found a number of toxic reactions and a higher mortality in . . .