title: Cephalosporin-induced Hemolytic Anemia in a Sicilian Child.
abstract: A 27-month-old child developed acute hemolysis on two occasions after the administration of cephalosporin. On the first occasion, hemolysis was intravascular and was due to the formation of complexes between antibodies and the drug, which bound to red blood cells and caused severe hemolysis. On the second occasion, hemolysis was extravascular and was probably due to antibody-dependent cell mediated cytotoxicity. Marked increases in levels of CD19(+), and CD57(+) CD8(+) cells were detected among the subpopulations of the patient's lymphocytes but only in the level of CD19(+) cells from the patient's father, after incubation of a sample of whole blood with a solution of cephalosporins. These results might explain the differences between the immune response of the patient and those of other members of his family and of an unrelated control.
authors.affiliation: a Departments of General Pathology , Via Androne 83, 95124 Catania , Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Malaponte
authors.affiliation: b Departments of Pediatrics , Via S. Sofia 78, 95123 Catania , Italy , University of Catania , Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Arcidiacono
authors.affiliation: a Departments of General Pathology , Via Androne 83, 95124 Catania , Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mazzarino
authors.affiliation: a Departments of General Pathology , Via Androne 83, 95124 Catania , Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pelligra
authors.affiliation: b Departments of Pediatrics , Via S. Sofia 78, 95123 Catania , Italy , University of Catania , Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Li Volti
authors.affiliation: a Departments of General Pathology , Via Androne 83, 95124 Catania , Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bevelacqua
authors.affiliation: b Departments of Pediatrics , Via S. Sofia 78, 95123 Catania , Italy , University of Catania , Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li Volti
keywords: Hemolytic anemia; antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity; cephalosporins; direct Coombs test; drug-induced hemolysis; indirect Coombs test