Question

Which of the following antibiotics, if administered to a premature infant, can cause grey baby syndrome?

• A. Tetracycline
• B. Chloramphenicol
• C. Clindamycin
• D. Netilmycin

Hint:

Think about the antibiotic that a premature infant's liver cannot break down well.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Grey baby syndrome is a specific, dangerous reaction in newborns. We need to find which drug causes it.

1. Tetracycline: Known for staining a child's growing teeth and affecting bone growth, a different problem altogether.
2. Chloramphenicol: The infant liver, especially in premature babies, lacks enough of the enzyme needed to inactivate this drug. It piles up in the blood, poisons cell energy production, and the baby turns pale grey, feeds poorly, becomes floppy, and can go into circulatory collapse. This is grey baby syndrome.
3. Clindamycin: Mostly linked to diarrhea and gut upset, not this syndrome.
4. Netilmycin: An aminoglycoside whose main risks are to hearing and the kidneys, unrelated to grey baby syndrome.

Only chloramphenicol matches the enzyme deficiency and toxic buildup that defines grey baby syndrome.

Let's summarize:

• Premature infants cannot clear chloramphenicol well because their liver enzyme for this job is immature.
• The drug then builds up and causes the grey, floppy, collapsed state called grey baby syndrome.

So chloramphenicol is the antibiotic responsible for grey baby syndrome.