[Occupational allergy to antibiotics]

Of 57 nurses suffering from dermatitis and having occupational contact with antibiotics 37 per cent exhibited positive tests with these drugs. Analogous figures for pharmaceutical industry workers were 34 subjects and 41 per cent and for veterinary surgeons 31 subjects and 29 per cent. A case of an ophthalmist sensitive to dethreomycin under occupational conditions was also recorded. Furthermore, six nurses exhibited inhalant allergy to penicillin manifested clinically by an anaphylactic shock or urticaria or, in two cases, by contact urticaria: one also due to penicillin and the other due to streptomycin.