Up to 10 percent of Australians believe they are allergic to penicillin, the most widely used antibiotic. Usually, they’re wrong.
The misdiagnosis can occur early in life when children are frequent visitors to GP clinics suffering ailments such as earache, sore throats and fever.
A course of penicillin is often prescribed, sometimes followed by the appearance of a worrying rash.
But Amy Whittaker, a paediatrician and Honorary Adjunct Assistant Professor at Bond University, says the rash is frequently caused by an underlying virus, not penicillin.
Those misdiagnosed then go through life avoiding penicillin which is often the most effective antibiotic with the least side effects.
Dr Whittaker is leading a study of 150 children aged 1-16 who have previously been diagnosed with a penicillin allergy but are at low risk of having a true allergy.
She is seeking parents and children from the Gold Coast region to take part in the research which has received $385,000 in funding from the Ramsay Hospital Research Foundation.
Dr Whittaker said that despite being one of the oldest antibiotics, penicillin remained one of the most effective.
“Using alternative antibiotics has been associated with increased treatment failures, longer hospital stays, and increased likelihood of requiring intensive care support,” she said.
Dr Whittaker said that aside from setting parents’ minds at ease, enrolling children in the study would help address one of the world’s most pressing medical problems, antibiotic resistance.
“We know that avoiding penicillins and using more broad-spectrum antibiotics is associated with antimicrobial resistance,” she said.
“Research has found that antimicrobial resistance is responsible for more deaths worldwide than HIV or malaria.”
“Whilst Australia has a good healthcare system and antimicrobial resistance causes less deaths that elsewhere in the world, it is still a significant problem.”
Children taking part in the study are first reviewed by a paediatrician and attend Pindara Private Hospital Emergency Department where they are given a 10 percent dose of penicillin, followed by the remaining 90 percent, if tolerated.
After close observation they are sent home to take a five-day course of antibiotics at home, with follow-ups by the clinical team to check on their progress.
There are no costs to study participants.
For details, go to https://leadingsteps.com.au/penicillin-allergy-study