title: Antibiotic therapy in the allergic patient.
abstract: A variety of antimicrobial classes are now available. Thus, a careful history and skin testing for hypersensitivity reactions are often not done. It is often easier to give an alternative agent rather than to determine if the person does indeed have a hypersensitivity reaction to a particular drug. There remain situations (e.g., enterococcal endocarditis, neurosyphilis, syphilis in pregnant women), however, in which options for appropriate therapy are limited. In this setting, an accurate history accompanied by appropriate skin testing and desensitization is indicated.
authors.affiliation: Section of Infectious Disease, Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center, Rush Medical College, Chicago, Illinois, USA.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Segreti
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Trenholme
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Levin
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D012882:Skin Tests
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents