EN
Nitroimidazoles have been used for the treatment of anaerobic bacterial and parasitic infections in animals. However, they are believed to possess genotoxic and carcinogenic properties, which is why their use in food producing animals has been banned in many countries. At present, nitroimidazoles are approved in the European Union only for use in companion animals and human medicine, although the reason for the ban of their use in food producing animals was just care about the health of people. As a consequence of this ban each European Union country and countries wishing to export animal products to the European Union are required to implement a residue monitoring plan for nitroimidazole residues in food of animal origin which helps to ensure the safety and reduce the possible health risks to consumers. In this article the pharmacological and toxicological aspects of the most commonly used 5-nitroimidazoles in veterinary medicine are summarized.