AAAAI logo

Home

 Allergy & Asthma Disease Management Center
Funded by an educational grant from sanofi-aventis US


Ask the Expert Current Literature Quiz of the Month Allergy/Respiratory Digest CME Article Meetings/Calendars AAAAI Educational Resources Other Links Comments/Suggestions



September 2006 QUIZ OF THE MONTH . . .

Suspected allergy to penicillin group and other beta-lactam antibiotics is still a major clinical problem, sometimes restricting choices of antibiotic usage. Which of the statements about this matter are true or false?

  1. The large majority of patients giving histories of being allergic to penicillin antibiotics do not have allergic reactions when challenged with a penicillin agent.
  2. A negative response in a penicilloyl poly lysine (PPL, Pre-Pen) skin test does not rule out the presence of current penicillin allergy.
  3. The RAST detecting IgE anti-penicilloyl antibodies is more sensitive than the PPL skin test in detecting current penicillin allergy.
  4. Allergic reactions to amoxicillin do not involve the beta-lactam ring structure.
  5. Some allergic reactions to cephalosporins are directed against drug-specific side chains.

    Think you have the answers?

Click here to find out if you're right!

<== Back



Please tell us what you think of this site.