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Experimental evidence of a decreased incidence of penicillin allergy through use of pure penicillins

Experimenteller Nachweis für eine verminderte Inzidenz von Penicillin-Allergien durch die Anwendung von reinen Penicillinen

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Summary

The results revealed the presence of high molecular weight impurities in commercially available penicillins, measured with a radioimmuno assay. The impurities had penicilloyl specificity and induced antibody formation in mice when the contaminated penicillin was administered in 50 mg/kg body weight daily for ten day periods with a 20 to 30 day interval. Penicillin of high purity similarly administered produced very few antibodies. Furthermore, experimentally contaminated penicillin given according to the same schedule caused IgE antibody formation against the penicilloyl moiety, while pure penicillin did not. These findings were explained by the weak immunogenicity of isologous penicilloylated serum albumin in rabbits both regarding the IgE and the IgG/IgM antibody formation compared to the immunogenicity of heterologous bovine serum albumin similarly penicilloylated.

Zusammenfassung

Die mit dem Radioimmunoassay gewonnenen Untersuchungsergebnisse deckten die Anwesenheit von hochmolekularen Verunreinigungen in kommerziell erhältlichen Penicillinen auf. Diese Verunreinigungen waren Penicilloyl-artige Substanzen und induzierten bei Mäusen die Bildung von Antikörpern, wenn das kontaminierte Penicillin in Dosen von 50 mg/kg Körpergewicht und Tag zehn Tage lang in Zeitintervallen von 20 bis 30 Tagen verabreicht wurde. Penicillin von hohem Reinheitsgrad, das in ähnlicher Weise gegeben wurde, verursachte nur eine geringe Antikörperbildung. Darüber hinaus führte experimentell kontaminiertes Penicillin, das nach demselben Schema verabreicht wurde, zur Bildung von IgE Antikörpern gegen den Penicilloyl-Anteil, während reines Penicillin das niemals tat. Diese Befunde wurden durch die im Vergleich zur Immunogenität von in ähnlicher Weise an heterologes Rinder-Serumalbumin gebundenem Penicilloyls, schwache Immunogenität von an homologem Serumalbumin gebundenes Penicilloyl im Kaninchen, sowohl bezüglich der IgE-als auch der IgG/IgM-Antikörper-Bildung, erklärt.

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Ahlstedt, S., Kristofferson, A. Experimental evidence of a decreased incidence of penicillin allergy through use of pure penicillins. Infection 7 (Suppl 5), S499–S502 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01659783

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