An Unusual Sensitivity Reaction to Penicillin

Abstract

SINCE the time that penicillin came into general clinical use, a wide variety of sensitivity reactions have been seen. Earlier reports were of reactions to aqueous penicillin, but Rosellini and van Rooy1 and more recently Burt and Caplan2 have reported delayed reactions to penicillin given in oil and wax. However, in neither of these cases is there any direct evidence that the vehicle was responsible, although the patient described by Burt and Caplan was sensitive to ragweed and the authors suggest the possibility that the beeswax contained a pollen antigen.Despite the numerous reactions, to date only 4 deaths have . . .