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Penicillin Allergy and MSSA Bacteremia

Open Forum Infect Dis; ePub 2018 Feb 19; Turner, et al

Publish date:: February 26, 2018

Reported penicillin allergy had no significant effect on 30- or 90-day mortality in patients with methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) bacteremia, a recent study found. The retrospective cohort study of adults with MSSA bacteremia from 2010-2015 included 318 patients with MSSA bacteremia. Outcomes were examined according to reported penicillin allergy. Researchers found:

Reported penicillin allergy had no significant effect on adjusted 30-day mortality (OR, 0.73).
Patients with reported penicillin allergy were more likely to receive vancomycin, but a large number received cefazolin regardless of reported allergy.
Non-penicillin allergic patients receiving vancomycin for treatment of MSSA bacteremia had the highest mortality rates overall.
Receipt of a beta-lactam was the strongest predictor of survival.

Citation:

Turner NA, Moehring R, Sarubbi C, et al. Influence of reported penicillin allergy on mortality in MSSA bacteremia. Open Forum Infect Dis. [Published online ahead of print February 19, 2018]. doi:10.1093/ofid/ofy042.

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