Nitrofurans are a class of drugs typically used as antibiotics or antimicrobials.^[1] The defining structural component is a furan ring with a nitro group.^[2]

Drugs

Members of this class of drugs include:

• Antibacterials (antibiotics)
  • Difurazone (also known as Nitrovin) — an antibacterial growth promoter used in the animal feeds
  • Furazolidone
  • Nifurfoline
  • Nifuroxazide
  • Nifurquinazol
  • Nifurtoinol
  • Nifurzide
  • Nitrofural (also known as nitrofurazone)
  • Nitrofurantoin — a drug used to treat urinary tract infections^[3]
  • Ranbezolid — technically an oxazolidinone antibiotic bearing a nitrofuran group
• Antimicrobials
  • Furaltadone — an antiprotozoal
  • Furazidine — an antibacterial and antiprotozoal
    • Furaginum — an antibacterial
  • Furylfuramide — a formerly used food preservative
  • Nifuratel — an antiprotozoal and antifungal
  • Nifurtimox — an antiprotozoal
• FANFT, a potent nitrofuran derivative tumor initiator. It causes bladder tumors in all animals studied and is mutagenic to many bacteria.

Regulation

The European Union has banned the use of Nitrofurans in food-producing animals. In the 2000s, a number of meat imports were destroyed after nitrofurans were found, including chicken imported from Portugal,^[4] and chicken imported from Thailand and Brazil.^[5]