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Dorothy D. Sogn, MD; Richard Evans III, MD; Gillian M. Shepherd, MD; Thomas B. Casale, MD; John Condemi, MD; Paul A. Greenberger, MD; Peter F. Kohler, MD; Andrew Saxon, MD; Richard J. Summers, MD; Paul P. VanArsdel, Jr, MD; Judith G. Massicot, PhD; William C. Blackwelder, PhD; Bernard B. Levine, MD

Arch Intern Med. 1992;152(5):1025-1032.

Abstract
Background. —
A history (or lack thereof) of penicillin allergy is known to be unreliable in predicting reactions on subsequent administration of the drug. This study tests the usefulness of four penicillin allergen skin tests in the prediction of IgE-mediated reactions subsequent to administration of penicillin.

Methods. —
Eight centers cooperated in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases trial of the predictive value of skin testing with major and minor penicillin derivatives. Hospitalized adults were tested with a major determinant (octa-benzylpenicilloyl-octalysine) and a minor determinant mixture and its components (potassium benzylpenicillin, benzylpenicilloate, and benzylpenicilloyl-N-propylamine). Patients then received a therapeutic course of penicillin and were observed, for 48 hours, for adverse reactions compatible with an IgE-mediated immediate or accelerated allergy.

Results.—
Among 726 history-positive patients, 566 with negative skin tests received penicillin and only seven (1.2%) had possibly IgE-mediated reactions. Among 600 history-negative patients, 568 with negative skin tests received penicillin and none had a reaction. Only nine of the 167 positive skin test reactors received a penicillin agent and then usually by cautious incremental dosing. Two (22%) of these nine patients had reactions compatible with IgE-mediated immediate or accelerated penicillin allergy; both were positive to the two determinants.

Conclusions.—
These data corroborate previous data about the negative predictive value of negative skin tests to these materials. The reaction rate in skin test—positive patients was significantly higher than in those with negative skin tests, demonstrating the positive predictive value of positive tests to both major and minor determinants. The number of patients positive only to the major determinant or only to the minor determinant mix was too small to draw conclusions about the positive predictive value of either reagent alone.

(Arch Intern Med. 1992;152:1025-1032)

Author Affiliations
From the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, Md (Drs Sogn, Casale, Massicot, and Blackwelder); National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda (Dr Sogn); Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC (Drs Evans and Summers); Northwestern University, Chicago, Ill (Drs Evans and Greenberger); Cornell University, Ithaca, NY (Dr Shepherd); University of Iowa, Iowa City (Dr Casale); Rochester (NY) University (Dr Condemi); University of Colorado, Denver (Dr Kohler); Tulane University, New Orleans, La (Dr Kohler); University of California, Los Angeles (Dr Saxon); University of Washington, Seattle (Dr VanArsdel); National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, Bethesda, Md (Dr Massicot); and New York (NY) University (Dr Levine).

Footnotes
Accepted for publication February 4, 1992.

Reprint requests to Room 10A-07 Westwood Bldg, 5333 Westbard Ave, Bethesda, MD 20892 (Dr Sogn).

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