Suspicion of penicillin allergy is frequent in the pediatric population. Penicillin skin testing and oral challenge are helpful to clarify those reactions. However, the use of penicillin after allergic evaluation has not been evaluated in a pediatric population.

A retrospective telephonic survey was done for all children who had a history of penicillin reaction with negative penicillin skin testing and a negative penicillin oral challenge between January 1998 and June 2000. Allergic evaluation was done in the allergy department. Parents were questioned on their children's antibiotic use since the tests.

200 children fulfilled those criteria. Parents of 170 (85%)children were joined. 76% (130/170) of the children received an antibiotic after the allergic evaluation. Penicillin was used in 45% (59/130) of the children who received an antibiotic after testing. There was no difference found between the group which took penicillin again, and the one which did not. This was based on age, sex, education level, delay between initial reaction and penicillin testing, parent's stress concerning the initial reaction, and the number of antibiotic course since allergic testing.

Penicillin is used in approximately half of the patients with negative penicillin skin testing and oral challenge. No significant difference appears between the group which reuses penicillin and the one which does not.