In vitro detection of specific IgE antibodies to erythromycin.
BACKGROUND
In vitro tests for detecting drug-specific IgE would be useful in identifying patients at risk for immediate hypersensitivity reactions to therapeutic doses of a drug.


OBJECTIVE
We attempted to verify that IgE-mediated reactions to erythromycin occur and to identify IgE antibodies specific for erythromycin in serum from a patient who had urticaria immediately after administration of the drug.


METHODS
Skin prick testing was performed on the patient and five control subjects. Serum from the patient, pooled sera from nonatopic subjects allergic to common aeroallergens, and cord blood controls were analyzed for erythromycin-specific IgE by radioimmunoassay. Sepharose (Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sweden) was used as solid phase covalently linked to erythromycin.


RESULTS
We were able to detect erythromycin-specific IgE antibodies in serum from the patient who had an allergic reaction to this antibiotic, but specific IgE could not be detected in control sera.


CONCLUSIONS
Immunologic IgE-mediated reactions to erythromycin do occur, and in vitro diagnosis of such reactions can be made by using Sepharose as a solid phase covalently linked to this drug.
Pascual
C
C
Servicio de Alergia, Hospital La Paz, Madrid, Spain.
Crespo
J F
JF
Quiralte
J
J
Lopez
C
C
Wheeler
G
G
Martin-Esteban
M
M
D000328:Adult; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D012685:Sepharose; D012882:Skin Tests; D014581:Urticaria / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000276:immunology
D007073:Immunoglobulin E; D004917:Erythromycin; D012685:Sepharose