FATAL APLASTIC ANEMIA IN CHILDREN FOLLOWING CHLORAMPHENICOL (CHLOROMYCETIN®) THERAPY

Abstract

The presence of the nitrobenzene radical in the structure of chloramphenicol (chloromycetin®)¹ led to the suspicion that the drug might be a hemopoietic toxin.² Clinical evidence tending to incriminate chloramphenicol as the responsible agent in instances of reversible leukopenia and/or anemia³ and in one case of fatal aplastic anemia⁴ has been reported. The purpose of this report is to add further evidence, obtained from the study of four cases of fatal aplastic anemia in children, indicating that chloramphenicol may be a serious toxin to the hemopoietic tissue of man. METHODS AND MATERIAL The diagnostic criteria employed,⁵ including the method of bone marrow aspiration, preparation, and analysis, have been described previously in detail.⁶ Hemoglobin levels, Wintrobe hematocrit determinations, and white and red blood cell counts were done by routine methods. The dry method was used in counting the reticulocytes, and Fonio's technique was employed for