sultamicillin and Anemia--Hemolytic

A 5-year-old girl with no underlying immune deficiency or hematologic disease was treated with a combination of ceftriaxone and ampicilline-sulbactam for pneumonia. On the ninth day of the therapy, she developed oliguria, paleness, malaise, immune hemolytic anemia (IHA) and acute renal failure (ARF). Laboratory studies showed the presence of antibodies against ceftriaxone. Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) was diagnosed by renal biopsy. The patient's renal insufficiency was successfully treated with peritoneal dialysis without any complications. The patient recovered without any treatment using steroids or other immunosuppressive agents.

Topics: Acute Disease; Acute Kidney Injury; Ampicillin; Anemia, Hemolytic; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Ceftriaxone; Child, Preschool; Coombs Test; Female; Humans; Immunoglobulin G; Nephritis, Interstitial; Peritoneal Dialysis; Pneumonia; Sulbactam; Treatment Outcome

A 56-year-old Chinese lady with valvular heart disease and atrial fibrillation was referred to us from a private hospital for further management of autoimmune haemolytic anaemia. Physical examination and laboratory investigations did not support the diagnosis of haemolytic anaemia. However, direct antiglobulin test (DAT) was strongly positive with anti-IgG and negative with anti-C3d. There was also mild anaemia and reticulocytosis, which was attributable to persistent haematuria. The DAT became positive after commencing Unasyn and cessation was associated with decreasing reactivity of the positive DAT. We believe that the positive DAT in this patient was most likely due to the Unasyn therapy.

Topics: Ampicillin; Anemia, Hemolytic; Coombs Test; Diagnostic Errors; Drug Interactions; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Middle Aged; Sulbactam

A high incidence (39%) of positive direct antiglobulin tests (DATs) has been reported in patients taking Unasyn [ampicillin sodium plus sulbactam sodium (a beta-lactamase inhibitor)]. Three of four patients, with positive DATs, receiving Unasyn or Timentin [ticarcillin disodium plus clavulanate potassium (also a beta-lactamase inhibitor)] developed a haemolytic anaemia (HA) associated with a positive DAT, which resolved when drug therapy was stopped. The patients' sera did not react with red blood cells (RBCs) in the presence of Unasyn or Timentin, but when drug-treated RBCs were tested, patients' sera and normal sera reacted equally by indirect antiglobulin test. Following incubation in normal sera, RBCs treated with Unasyn, Timentin, Augmentin (amoxicillin + clavulanate), sulbactam and clavulanate reacted with anti-human globulin and anti-human albumin (an index of non-specific adsorption); RBCs treated with ampicillin and amoxicillin were nonreactive. The beta-lactamase inhibitors sulbactam and clavulanate seem to cause nonimmunologic adsorption of protein onto RBCs in vitro. This may explain the high incidence of positive DATs detected in patients taking Unasyn, which contains sulbactam. It was not possible to prove that there was a direct association between the nonspecific uptake of protein onto drug-treated RBCs in vitro with the positive DATs or the HA.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ampicillin; Anemia, Hemolytic; Clavulanic Acids; Coombs Test; Drug Therapy, Combination; Enzyme Inhibitors; Erythrocytes; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Proteins; Sulbactam; Ticarcillin