Suspected allergy to Beta-Lactam antibiotics: An infectiological perspective

Abstract

The administration of alternative broad-spectrum antibiotics because of a suspected allergy to beta-lactam antibiotics (BLA) is one reason for the increase in bacterial resistance to antibiotics and results in further problems, such as reduced efficiency against the causative bacteria, longer hospital stays, higher prices, and more adverse events. Patients with documented BLA allergy experience Clostridium difficile infections and postoperative surgical-site infections more frequently than patients without this label. Yet, in cases of documented and even proven IgE-mediated allergy to a BLA, such as penicillin or cephalosporin, the careful application of a different BLA with dissimilar core and side chains is possible. Cefazolin, e.g., would often be a candidate for skin and soft-tissue infections (e.g., cellulitis) or for perioperative prophylaxis, because it does not share a common side chain with any other BLA and tackles most causative bacteria. In case of severe cellulitis, a carbapenem would be a candidate. After type IV-reactions (benign maculopapular rash), an infectiologist's choice would be to apply another narrow-spectrum BLA. In cases where a long-lasting therapy with penicillin is indicated (e.g., for late syphilis or prophylaxis of erysipelas) in presence of a proven IgE-mediated allergy, desensitization would be the infectiologist's choice.

Keywords: Clostridium difficile; bacterial resistance to antibiotics; beta-lactam allergy; cefazolin; cellulitis; desensitization; erysipelas; penicillin; skin and soft-tissue infections.