Carbadox is a

veterinary drug An animal drug (also veterinary drug) refers to a drug intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in animals. Regulation United States The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the broad mandat ...

that combats infection in

swine Suina (also known as Suiformes) is a suborder of omnivorous, non-ruminant artiodactyl mammals that includes the domestic pig and peccaries. A member of this clade is known as a suine. Suina includes the family Suidae, termed suids, known in ...

, particularly swine

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

Indications

Carbadox is indicated for control of swine dysentery (vibrionic dysentery, bloody scours, or hemorrhagic dysentery); control of bacterial swine

enteritis Enteritis is inflammation of the small intestine. It is most commonly caused by food or drink contaminated with pathogenic microbes,Dugdale, David C., IIII, and George F Longretc"Enteritis" MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, 18 October 2008. Acces ...

(

salmonellosis Salmonellosis is a symptomatic infection caused by bacteria of the ''Salmonella'' type. It is the most common disease to be known as food poisoning (though the name refers to food-borne illness in general). These are defined as diseases, usuall ...

or necrotic enteritis caused by ''

Salmonella enterica ''Salmonella enterica'' (formerly ''Salmonella choleraesuis'') is a rod-shaped, flagellate, facultative anaerobic, Gram-negative bacterium and a species of the genus ''Salmonella''. It is divided into six subspecies, arizonae (IIIa), diarizonae ...

''); aid in the prevention of migration and establishment of large roundworm (''

Ascaris suum ''Ascaris suum'', also known as the large roundworm of pig, is a parasitic nematode that causes ascariasis in pigs. While roundworms in pigs and humans are today considered as two species (''A. suum'' and '' A. lumbricoides'') with different ho ...

'') infections; aid in the prevention of establishment of nodular worm ('' Oesophagostomum'') infections.

Safety

animal model An animal model (short for animal disease model) is a living, non-human, often genetic-engineered animal used during the research and investigation of human disease, for the purpose of better understanding the disease process without the risk of ha ...

s, carbadox has been shown to be carcinogenic and to induce birth defects. The

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

's Center for Veterinary Medicine has questioned the safety in light of its possible carcinogenicity.

Regulation

Carbadox is approved in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

only for use in

and may not be used within 42 days of slaughter or used in pregnant animals. In 2016, the United States

moved to ban its use in pork, citing a potential cancer risk to humans. However, as of August 2018, FDA had indefinitely stayed its withdrawal of approval and carbadox remains available. In 2004, carbadox was banned by the

Canadian government The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes ministers of the Crown ( ...

as a

livestock Livestock are the Domestication, domesticated animals that are raised in an Agriculture, agricultural setting to provide labour and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, Egg as food, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The t ...

feed additive and for human consumption. The European Union also forbids the use of carbadox at any level. Australia forbids the use of carbadox in food producing animals.

References

{{reflist Antimicrobials Antiparasitic agents Quinoxalines Amine oxides Hydrazones Veterinary drugs Methyl esters Carbamates