Pediatric Serum Sickness Questions & Answers

1. von Pirquet CF, Schick B (Translator). Serum Sickness. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins Co; 1951.

2. Gamarra RM, McGraw SD, Drelichman VS, Maas LC. Serum sickness-like reactions in patients receiving intravenous infliximab. J Emerg Med. 2006 Jan. 30(1):41-4. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

3. Del Pozzo-Magaña BR, Abuzgaia A, Murray B, Rieder MJ, Lazo-Langner A. Paediatric serum sickness-like reaction: A 10-year retrospective cohort study. Paediatr Child Health. 2021 Nov. 26 (7):428-435. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

4. Brucculeri M, Charlton M, Serur D. Serum sickness-like reaction associated with cefazolin. BMC Clin Pharmacol. 2006 Feb 23. 6:3. [QxMD MEDLINE Link]. [Full Text].

5. Colton RL, Amir J, Mimouni M, Zeharia A. Serum sickness-like reaction associated with griseofulvin. Ann Pharmacother. 2004 Apr. 38(4):609-11. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

6. Creamer JD, McGrath JA, Webb-Peploe M, Smith NP. Serum sickness-like illness following streptokinase therapy. A case report. Clin Exp Dermatol. 1995 Nov. 20(6):468-70. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

7. Heckbert SR, Stryker WS, Coltin KL, Manson JE, Platt R. Serum sickness in children after antibiotic exposure: estimates of occurrence and morbidity in a health maintenance organization population. Am J Epidemiol. 1990 Aug. 132(2):336-42. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

8. Hosoda N, Sunaoshi W, Shirai H, Bando Y, Miura H, Igarashi M. Anticarbamazepine antibody induced by carbamazepine in a patient with severe serum sickness. Arch Dis Child. 1991 Jun. 66(6):722-3. [QxMD MEDLINE Link]. [Full Text].

9. King BA, Geelhoed GC. Adverse skin and joint reactions associated with oral antibiotics in children: the role of cefaclor in serum sickness-like reactions. J Paediatr Child Health. 2003 Dec. 39(9):677-81. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

10. Kunnamo I, Kallio P, Pelkonen P, Viander M. Serum-sickness-like disease is a common cause of acute arthritis in children. Acta Paediatr Scand. 1986 Nov. 75(6):964-9. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

11. Platt R, Dreis MW, Kennedy DL, Kuritsky JN. Serum sickness-like reactions to amoxicillin, cefaclor, cephalexin, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. J Infect Dis. 1988 Aug. 158(2):474-7. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

12. Segal AR, Doherty KM, Leggott J, Zlotoff B. Cutaneous reactions to drugs in children. Pediatrics. 2007 Oct. 120(4):e1082-96. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

13. Vial T, Pont J, Pham E, et al. Cefaclor-associated serum sickness-like disease: eight cases and review of the literature. Ann Pharmacother. 1992 Jul-Aug. 26(7-8):910-4. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

14. Lawley TJ, Bielory L, Gascon P, et al. A prospective clinical and immunologic analysis of patients with serum sickness. N Engl J Med. 1984 Nov 29. 311(22):1407-13. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

15. Knowles S, Shapiro L, Shear NH. Serious dermatologic reactions in children. Curr Opin Pediatr. 1997 Aug. 9(4):388-95. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

16. Kearns GL, Wheeler JG, Childress SH, Letzig LG. Serum sickness-like reactions to cefaclor: role of hepatic metabolism and individual susceptibility. J Pediatr. 1994 Nov. 125(5 Pt 1):805-11. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

17. King BA, Geelhoed GC. Adverse skin and joint reactions associated with oral antibiotics in children: the role of cefaclor in serum sickness-like reactions. J Paediatr Child Health. 2003 Dec. 39 (9):677-81. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

18. Black RE, Gunn RA. Hypersensitivity reactions associated with botulinal antitoxin. Am J Med. 1980 Oct. 69(4):567-70. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

19. Jurkovich GJ, Luterman A, McCullar K, et al. Complications of Crotalidae antivenin therapy. J Trauma. 1988 Jul. 28(7):1032-7. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

20. Shemesh IY, Kristal C, Langerman L, Bourvin A. Preliminary evaluation of Vipera palaestinae snake bite treatment in accordance to the severity of the clinical syndrome. Toxicon. 1998 Jun. 36(6):867-73. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

21. Lavonas EJ, Kokko J, Schaeffer TH, Mlynarchek SL, Bogdan GM, Dart RC. Short-term outcomes after Fab antivenom therapy for severe crotaline snakebite. Ann Emerg Med. 2011 Feb. 57(2):128-137.e3. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

22. Offerman SR, Bush SP, Moynihan JA, Clark RF. Crotaline Fab antivenom for the treatment of children with rattlesnake envenomation. Pediatrics. 2002 Nov. 110(5):968-71. [QxMD MEDLINE Link]. [Full Text].

23. LoVecchio F, McBride C. Scorpion envenomations in young children in central Arizona. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 2003. 41(7):937-40. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

24. Isbister GK. Safety of i.v. administration of redback spider antivenom. Intern Med J. 2007 Dec. 37(12):820-2. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

25. Bielory L, Gascon P, Lawley TJ, et al. Human serum sickness: a prospective analysis of 35 patients treated with equine anti-thymocyte globulin for bone marrow failure. Medicine (Baltimore). 1988 Jan. 67(1):40-57. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

26. da Silva PS, Passos RM, Waisberg DR, Park MV. Serum sickness and severe acute renal failure after rabbit antithymocyte globulin treatment in aplastic anemia: a case report. J Pediatr Hematol Oncol. 2011 Jan. 33(1):43-6. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

27. Hanauer SB, Feagan BG, Lichtenstein GR, et al. Maintenance infliximab for Crohn's disease: the ACCENT I randomised trial. Lancet. 2002 May 4. 359(9317):1541-9. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

28. Colombel JF, Loftus EV Jr, Tremaine WJ, et al. The safety profile of infliximab in patients with Crohn's disease: the Mayo clinic experience in 500 patients. Gastroenterology. 2004 Jan. 126(1):19-31. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

29. Lees CW, Ali AI, Thompson AI, et al. The safety profile of anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy in inflammatory bowel disease in clinical practice: analysis of 620 patient-years follow-up. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2009 Feb 1. 29(3):286-97. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

30. Zabana Y, Domènech E, Mañosa M, et al. Infliximab safety profile and long-term applicability in inflammatory bowel disease: 9-year experience in clinical practice. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2010 Mar. 31(5):553-60. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

31. Wang J, Wiley JM, Luddy R, et al. Chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura in children: assessment of rituximab treatment. J Pediatr. 2005 Feb. 146(2):217-21. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

32. Bennett CM, Rogers ZR, Kinnamon DD, et al. Prospective phase 1/2 study of rituximab in childhood and adolescent chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura. Blood. 2006 Apr 1. 107(7):2639-42. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

33. Sailler L. Rituximab off label use for difficult-to-treat auto-immune diseases: reappraisal of benefits and risks. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. 2008 Feb. 34(1):103-10. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

34. Kumar A, Khamkar K, Gopal H. Serum sickness and severe angioedema following rituximab therapy in RA. Int J Rheum Dis. 2012 Feb. 15(1):e6-7. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

35. Ungprasert P, Srivali N, Kittanamongkolchai W, Leeaphorn N, Griger DT. Rituximab-induced serum sickness in overlapping syndrome between sjögren syndrome and systemic lupus erythematosus. J Clin Rheumatol. 2013 Sep. 19(6):360. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

36. Goto S, Goto H, Tanoshima R, et al. Serum sickness with an elevated level of human anti-chimeric antibody following treatment with rituximab in a child with chronic immune thrombocytopenic purpura. Int J Hematol. 2009 Apr. 89(3):305-9. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

37. Hellwig K, Schimrigk S, Fischer M, et al. Allergic and nonallergic delayed infusion reactions during natalizumab therapy. Arch Neurol. 2008 May. 65(5):656-8. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

38. Pilette C, Coppens N, Houssiau FA, Rodenstein DO. Severe serum sickness-like syndrome after omalizumab therapy for asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2007 Oct. 120(4):972-3. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

39. Russo EA, Iacucci M, Lindsay JO, et al. Survey on the use of adalimumab as maintenance therapy in Crohn's disease in England and Ireland. Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2010 Mar. 22(3):334-9. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

40. Comenzo RL, Malachowski ME, Meissner HC, Fulton DR, Berkman EM. Immune hemolysis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and serum sickness after large doses of immune globulin given intravenously for Kawasaki disease. J Pediatr. 1992 Jun. 120(6):926-8. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

41. Azik FM, Kanmaz G, Ileri T. Serum sickness-like syndrome after immunoglobulin M-enriched polyclonal immunoglobulin. Drug Metabol Drug Interact. 2010. 25(1-4):49-50. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

42. Wise RP, Iskander J, Pratt RD, et al. Postlicensure safety surveillance for 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. JAMA. 2004 Oct 13. 292(14):1702-10. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

43. Bonds RS, Kelly BC. Severe serum sickness after H1N1 influenza vaccination. Am J Med Sci. 2013 May. 345(5):412-3. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

44. Aujero MP, Brooks S, Li N, Venna S. Severe serum sickness-like type III reaction to insulin detemir. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2011 Jun. 64(6):e127-8. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

45. Zhang Z, Xiang Y, Wang B, Chen H, Cai X, Wang X, et al. Intestinal mucosal permeability of children with cefaclor-associated serum sickness-like reactions. Eur J Pediatr. 2013 Apr. 172(4):537-43. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

46. Suwansrinon K, Jaijareonsup W, Wilde H, Benjavongkulchai M, Sriaroon C, Sitprija V. Sex- and age-related differences in rabies immunoglobulin hypersensitivity. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2007 Feb. 101(2):206-8. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

47. Bielory L, Yancey KB, Young NS, Frank MM, Lawley TJ. Cutaneous manifestations of serum sickness in patients receiving antithymocyte globulin. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1985 Sep. 13(3):411-7. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

48. Biuk D, Jukic T, Vukojevic N, Kalauz M. Serum sickness and uveitis. Coll Antropol. 2005. 29 Suppl 1:127-8. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

49. Tolpinrud WL, Bunick CG, King BA. Serum sickness-like reaction: histopathology and case report. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2011 Sep. 65(3):e83-5. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

50. Nangaku M, Couser WG. Mechanisms of immune-deposit formation and the mediation of immune renal injury. Clin Exp Nephrol. 2005 Sep. 9(3):183-91. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

51. Tanriover B, Chuang P, Fishbach B, et al. Polyclonal antibody-induced serum sickness in renal transplant recipients: treatment with therapeutic plasma exchange. Transplantation. 2005 Jul 27. 80(2):279-81. [QxMD MEDLINE Link].

Tova Ronis, MD Attending Rheumatologist, Division of Rheumatology, Children's National Medical Center; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, George Washington University Medical Center

Tova Ronis, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Rheumatology, Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Hanna Kim, MD, MS Pediatric Rheumatology Fellow, AI Dupont Hospital for Children, Thomas Jefferson University, National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Hanna Kim, MD, MS is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Rheumatology, American Medical Association, Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance, Rheumatism Society of the District of Columbia

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Philip J Cohen, MD Chief, Section of Dermatology, New Jersey Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Lawrence K Jung, MD Chief, Division of Pediatric Rheumatology, Children's National Medical Center

Lawrence K Jung, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Association of Immunologists, American College of Rheumatology, Clinical Immunology Society, New York Academy of Sciences

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Harumi Jyonouchi, MD Faculty, Division of Allergy/Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Saint Peter's University Hospital

Harumi Jyonouchi, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association of Immunologists, American Medical Association, Clinical Immunology Society, New York Academy of Sciences, Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine, Society for Pediatric Research, Society for Mucosal Immunology

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Robyn Siperstein, MD Staff Physician, Department of Dermatology, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Jersey Medical School

Robyn Siperstein, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Dermatology, American Medical Association, American Society for MOHS Surgery, and Sigma Xi

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

David J Valacer, MD Consulting Staff, Hoffman La Roche Pharmaceuticals

David J Valacer, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Association for the Advancement of Science, American Thoracic Society, and New York Academy of Sciences

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Mary L Windle, PharmD Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Pharmacy; Editor-in-Chief, Medscape Drug Reference

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

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