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]

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.

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]