Chlortetracycline calcium complex |
![]() Last updated: 14/09/2025 |
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(Also known as: chlortetracycline calcium; calcium-chlortetracycline complex) |
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Broad spectrum antibiotic and antimicrobial substance isolated from the microorganism (treptomyces aureofaciens) used in veterinary products and for aquaculture. Usually formulated as the hydrochloride salt. | |
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Mainly used for the prevention of infections of superficial traumatic or surgical wounds | |
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Agricultural livestock including: Poultry, Pigs, Cattle and Fish |
Approval status |
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Approved - usually supplied as a prescription only medicine to be authorised by a veterinarian (POM-V) | |
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Approved |
Chemical structure |
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Chlortetracycline calcium complex exhibits stereoisomerism, primarily due to the presence of multiple chiral centres within its tetracycline backbone. The molecule contains several asymmetric carbon atoms, most notably at positions C4, C5a, C6, C12a, and C7, which give rise to distinct diastereomers. The calcium ion in the complex does not introduce new isomerism but stabilises the structure by coordinating with oxygen atoms from the tetracycline ring system, often forming a chelate. The isomer used therapeutically is a single stereoisomer of the form (4S,4aS,5aS,6S,12aR). | |
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C₄₄H₄₄CaCl₂N₄O₁₆ | |
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[Ca++].[H][C@@]12C[C@@]3([H])C(=C(O)[C@]1(O)C(=O)C(C(N)=O)=C([O-])[C@H]2N(C)C)C(=O)C1=C(C(Cl)=CC=C1O)[C@@]3(C)O.[H][C@@]12C[C@@]3([H])C(=C(O)[C@]1(O)C(=O)C(C(N)=O)=C([O-])[C@H]2N(C)C)C(=O)C1=C(C(Cl)=CC=C1O)[C@@]3(C)O | |
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BRXWPGYMDYZZNU-NAUDNZITSA-L | |
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InChI=1S/2C22H23ClN2O8.Ca/c2*1-21(32)7-6-8-15(25(2)3)17(28)13(20(24)31)19(30)22(8,33)18(29)11(7)16(27)12-10(26)5-4-9(23)14(12)21;/h2*4-5,7-8,15,26,28-29,32-33H,6H2,1-3H3,(H2,24,31);/q;;+2/p-2/t2*7-,8-,15-,21-,22-;/m00./s1 | |
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Yes |
General status |
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Medicinal drug, Bactericide, Antimicrobial, Medicated feed additive | |
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Wood preservative; Antimicrobial; Bactericide; Biocide | |
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Amide pesticide; Tetracycline compound; Calcium ionophore | |
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Natural | |
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Protein synthesis inhibitor | |
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[16S ribosomal RNA, Inhibitor], [30S ribosomal proteins, Inhibitor], [ADP-ribosylation factor 1, Inhibitor], [Catalase, Inhibitor], [Ephrin type-B receptor 1, Inhibitor], [Pancreatic triacylglycerol lipase, Inhibitor], [Protein-arginine deiminase type-4, Inhibitor] | |
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57122-99-3 | |
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483928915 | |
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Dermatologicals: Antibiotics & chemotherapeutics for dermatological use | |
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QD06AA52 | |
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No | |
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Allowed substance (Table 1: All food producing species) | |
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995.83 | |
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calcium bis((1S,4aS,11S,11aS,12aS)-3-carbamoyl-10-chloro-1-(dimethylamino)-4a,5,7,11-tetrahydroxy-11-methyl-4,6-dioxo-1,4,4a,6,11,11a,12,12a-octahydrotetracen-2-olate) | |
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Possible groundwater contaminant | |
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Beige coloured powder | |
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Commercial |
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Current | |||
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1945, first discovered | |||
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Usually supplied in formulations for oral administration for use as a medicated feed additive | |||
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Chlortetracycline calcium complex is produced through a fermentation-based process using the microorganism Streptomyces aureofaciens. The production begins by cultivating the organism in a nutrient-rich medium containing carbon sources (like starch), nitrogen sources (such as peanut meal and ammonium sulphate), calcium carbonate to buffer pH, and other additives to optimise yield. The fermentation is carried out under aerobic, submerged conditions at around 26 DegC for approximately 120 hours. After fermentation, the broth is acidified and filtered to separate the biomass. The filtrate is then treated with calcium salts, typically calcium hydroxide or calcium chloride, to precipitate the chlortetracycline as its calcium complex. | |||
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As microbial-based products tend to use fermentation-based production processes rather than chemical synthesis, they typically have a lower fossil fuel input in formulation and active ingredient creation, and also have reduced downstream emissions due to biodegradability and minimal soil disruption, their life-cycle GHG emissions are expected to be low. Whilst hard and precise data is not available, broad estimates suggest that typically emissions are likely to be below 5 kg CO₂e/kg. |
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Substance may enter the environment via the faeces of treated animals. Identified in pig manure at high concentrations implying manure implying a major release route |
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44% lost after 30 days | R3 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications Soil and poultry manure at 30°C decreases with decreasing temp. DT₅₀ range 0.1-56 days3 = Unverified data of known source |
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As this parameter is not normally measured directly, a surrogate measure is used: ‘Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀’. Where data is available, this can be found in the Fate Indices section below. | ||||||||||
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Soil adsorption and mobility |
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Fate indices |
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Known metabolites |
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Terrestrial ecotoxicology |
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> 3000 | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources Rat3 = Unverified data of known source |
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Aquatic ecotoxicology |
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General |
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High (class III) | - | - | ||||||||
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> 3000 | Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources Rat3 = Unverified data of known source |
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Mainly eliminated in the faeces | R4 R = Peer reviewed scientific publications 4 = Verified data |
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Health issues |
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Inhalation of dust may cause asthmatic symptoms Possible blood toxin |
Handling issues |
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Avoid generation of dusts | |||
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Not listed (Not listed) | |||
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chlortetracycline calcium complex | ||
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Record last updated: | 14/09/2025 |
Contact: | aeru@herts.ac.uk |
Please cite as: | Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242 |