Clindamycin-induced hypersensitivity reaction

Drug-induced anaphylaxis is an unpredictable adverse reaction. Although it may occur with any medication, antibiotics induce more cases of anaphylaxis than any other medication class with most cases being induced by β-lactam antibiotics. Clindamycin is an antibiotic with good gram-positive and anaerobe coverage which is often used in patients with β-lactam allergies. We report the case of a 46-year-old female who experienced anaphylaxis after a dose of intravenous (IV) clindamycin. Following treatment with methylprednisolone, epinephrine, diphenhydramine, and albuterol, the patient stabilized. The patient’s score on the Naranjo’s algorithm was 8 (probable); a score of 9 (definite) limited only by absence of drug re-challenge. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a clindamycin-induced anaphylaxis where the patient was not exposed to any other agent that may have triggered the response, the first case in the United States, and only the third documented case in the literature. Clinicians should be aware of the potential for drug-induced anaphylaxis in all medications.