The Evolution of Our Understanding of Penicillin Allergy: 1942-2022
This article reviews our evolving understanding of penicillin hypersensitivity at the 80th anniversary of penicillin’s clinical introduction. Penicillin breakdown products covalently bond to serum proteins, leading to classic drug hypersensitivity. Penicillin remains the most frequently reported drug “allergy.” Adverse reactions were presumed, in retrospect incorrectly, to implicate a risk for anaphylaxis, and therefore skin testing for IgE became the focus. Skin test positivity may wane over time.
