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Glite Dictionary
nitrofuran

nitrofuran

1 8.8
A chemical used as an antibiotic to stop bacterial growth
  • noun
  • /ˌnaɪtroʊˈfjʊərən/
  • Specialized
: nitrofuran
  • The scientist studied the effects of nitrofuran on bacterial cultures to determine its effectiveness.

Examples

  • The antibiotic nitrofuran is often used in veterinary medicine to treat infections in animals.

  • Resistance to nitrofurantoin was lower than expected, given the documented illicit use of nitrofurans in Portugal by poultry producers in 2002-2003 (DGV, 2004).

    Academic text (2008)

  • Farmers utilized nitrofuran in their livestock to help prevent bacterial diseases.

Surface Forms

nitrofuran singular
nitrofurans plural

Morphology

nitrofuran = furan (semi-transparent) = nitro + furan

The prefix 'nitro-' indicates a nitro group, which is a common chemical modification, but the specific antibacterial use requires specialized knowledge.

Etymology

The word nitrofuran comes from the parts nitro- (from 'nitrogen') and furan (the name for a small chemical 'ring'). So a nitrofuran is a chemical with a nitro part on a furan ring and is used as an antibiotic to stop bacterial growth.