No drug can be guaranteed against producing side effects and antibiotics are no exception. However, side effects are rare and when they do occur they are usually mild. Diarrhoea is the most common. True allergy to antibiotics is uncommong and usually shows up as a rash.
Pencillin is the most common cause of serious allergic drug reactions in children as in adults. The vast majority of penicillin allergic individuals will be identified by skin testing which must be done by a secialsit in place where appropriate emergency equipment is available, since the skin test itself can cause anaphylaxes in patient with extreme penicillin allergy.
Patients who had a maculopapular rash (common in children) usually have a regained skin test. If the skin test is positive the patient is allergic to penicillin. If the skin test is negative the results are strongly against pencillin allergy but do not rule it out completely. This patient should be challenged cautiously and under controlled conditions with penicillin if they need these antibiotics. Oral challenge is considered safest. If penicillin must be given to a patient with proven penicillin allergy the descntization is necessary and must be carried out in hospital by a specialist allergist.
Ampicillin
A maculopapular rash due to ampicillin or amoxicillin is one of the most common cuteneous adverse drug reactions occurring in 5-10% of children. When ampicillin is administered to patient with infections mononucleosis, the incidence of rashes increases dramatically and approaches 100%. The biological mechanism of the Epstein Barr virus-ampicillin interaction are not completely understood but the consensus at present is that IgE-Mechanism is not involved and that children and ampicillin rash are highly unlikely to develop an immediate or accelerate reaction folling penicillin or ampicillin therapy in the future.
Urticarial eruptions due to ampicllin, on the other hand, are more likely to be on an allergic basis and subsequent administration of penicllin or ampicillin ampiciline in such patient may induce a sever allergy reaction. Such patient should be referred for further testing.
Pencillin is the most common cause of serious allergic drug reactions in children as in adults. The vast majority of penicillin allergic individuals will be identified by skin testing which must be done by a secialsit in place where appropriate emergency equipment is available, since the skin test itself can cause anaphylaxes in patient with extreme penicillin allergy.
Patients who had a maculopapular rash (common in children) usually have a regained skin test. If the skin test is positive the patient is allergic to penicillin. If the skin test is negative the results are strongly against pencillin allergy but do not rule it out completely. This patient should be challenged cautiously and under controlled conditions with penicillin if they need these antibiotics. Oral challenge is considered safest. If penicillin must be given to a patient with proven penicillin allergy the descntization is necessary and must be carried out in hospital by a specialist allergist.
Ampicillin
A maculopapular rash due to ampicillin or amoxicillin is one of the most common cuteneous adverse drug reactions occurring in 5-10% of children. When ampicillin is administered to patient with infections mononucleosis, the incidence of rashes increases dramatically and approaches 100%. The biological mechanism of the Epstein Barr virus-ampicillin interaction are not completely understood but the consensus at present is that IgE-Mechanism is not involved and that children and ampicillin rash are highly unlikely to develop an immediate or accelerate reaction folling penicillin or ampicillin therapy in the future.
Urticarial eruptions due to ampicllin, on the other hand, are more likely to be on an allergic basis and subsequent administration of penicllin or ampicillin ampiciline in such patient may induce a sever allergy reaction. Such patient should be referred for further testing.