Severe vancomycin-induced drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms syndrome imitating septic shock

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome secondary to antimicrobial therapy in pediatric bone and joint infections

Background

Bone and joint infections are common in children, particularly those under 10 years of age. While antimicrobial therapy can often successfully treat these infections, surgical drainage may also be necessary. It is important to note that prolonged courses of treatment have been associated with adverse events and drug reactions. Among these, drug reactions with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome is particularly severe and potentially life-threatening. We aimed to evaluate the cases of DRESS syndrome that develop during the treatment of bone and joint infections.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted at a tertiary-level university hospital between 2015 and 2022 to determine the incidence and outcomes of definite DRESS Syndrome in children under 18 years of age with bone and joint infections.

Results

Of 73 patients with bone and joint infections, 16 (21.9 %) children developed antimicrobial therapy-induced DRESS syndrome. Eight (50 %) of these children were boys; the mean age of the patients was 9.76 ± 5.5 years. DRESS syndrome occurred in 16 children, including 13 children with osteomyelitis, 1 child with osteomyelitis and septic arthritis, and 2 children with septic arthritis and sacroiliitis. The mean duration of intravenous antibiotic therapy was 40.6 ± 16.6 days; the mean hospital stay was 48.7 ± 23.7 days; the mean time for the development of DRESS syndrome after starting antibiotics was 19.6 ± 7.68 days. New onset fever (68.8 %) and rash (43.8 %) were the most common symptoms of DRESS Syndrome. Cefotaxime and vancomycin were drugs responsible for DRESS syndrome in 8 (50 %) of 16. The causative antibiotics were switched to another class of antibiotic, most commonly preferred was ciprofloxacin (n:5; 31.3 %). For children with persistent symptoms, steroids were used in 5 (31.25) patients.

Conclusions

Clinicians should be aware of DRESS syndrome in children who develop fever and rash under long-term antibiotics and should check hematological and biochemical parameters to predict the severity of DRESS syndrome. In patients with persistent symptoms, steroids may be used to control the symptoms.

Vancomycin-Induced Organizing Pneumonia: A Case Report and Literature Review

The long-term administration of vancomycin has increased; however, the pulmonary adverse reactions of long-term vancomycin treatment remain under-studied. A 75-year-old male patient with vertebral osteomyelitis receiving long-term vancomycin therapy developed a fever. High resolution computed tomography showed irregular ground glass opacity and consolidation in the right upper lung. The patient developed organizing pneumonia. This occurred without peripheral eosinophilia or adverse reactions in the skin and liver. The administration of vancomycin was discontinued. He recovered from organizing pneumonia after four weeks of steroid therapy. Solitary organizing pneumonia can develop during treatment with vancomycin. When pulmonary inflammation occurs and other causes of pneumonia are excluded, vancomycin therapy should be discontinued.

Antibacterial antibiotic-induced drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome: a literature review

Background

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms syndrome (DRESS) is a delayed infrequent potentially life-threatening idiosyncratic drug reaction. Aromatic anticonvulsants and allopurinol are the most frequent causative agents. However, various reports of antibiotic-induced DRESS are available. In this review, we try to summarize reports of antibacterial antibiotic-induced DRESS focusing on characteristics of DRESS induced by each antibiotic group.

Methods

The data were collected by searching PubMed/MEDLINE and ScienceDirect. The keywords used as search terms were “DRESS syndrome,” “drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS),” “antibiotics,” “antimicrobial,” and names of various antimicrobial groups. Finally, 254 relevant cases with a definite or probable diagnosis of DRESS based on RegiSCAR criteria were found until 30 May 2020 and reviewed.

Results and conclusion

Totally, 254 cases of antibacterial antibiotic-induced DRESS are reported. Most of them are related to antituberculosis drugs, vancomycin, and sulfonamides, respectively. Rash and fever were most frequent clinical findings. Eosinophilia and liver injury were the most reported hematologic and visceral organ involvement, respectively. Most of the patients are managed with systemic corticosteroids. The death occurred in 16 patients which most of them experienced liver or lung involvement. The reactivation of various viruses especially HHV-6 is reported in 33 cases. The mean latency period was 29 days. It is necessary to perform thorough epidemiological, genetic, and immunological studies, also systematic case review and causality assessment, as well as well-designed clinical trials for better management of antibiotic-induced DRESS.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s00228-020-03005-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Immune-mediated reactions to vancomycin: A systematic case review and analysis

BACKGROUND

Vancomycin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic whose use may be limited by adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Although vancomycin toxic effects are known, there are limited data on vancomycin hypersensitivity reactions (HSRs).

OBJECTIVE

To understand the most commonly reported vancomycin HSRs through systematic case review.

METHODS

We performed a literature search for English-language case reports and series from 1982 through 2015 (last search July 31, 2015) on Ovid MEDLINE and PubMed. The search included the subject heading vancomycin with the subheading adverse effects and separate text searches for vancomycin with a list of specified HSRs. References of identified articles were reviewed to find additional articles. Clinical data were collected and summarized.

RESULTS

Of 201 identified articles, 84 were screened and 57 fully assessed; these 57 articles contained 71 vancomycin HSR cases that were included in analysis. Vancomycin HSRs were immediate (anaphylaxis, n = 7) and nonimmediate (n = 64). Nonimmediate HSRs included linear IgA bullous dermatosis (LABD, n = 34), drug rash eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome (n = 16), acute interstitial nephritis (AIN, n = 8), and Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis (SJS/TEN, n = 6). Median times of vancomycin therapy before HSR onset was 7 days (interquartile range [IQR], 4-10 days) for LABD, 9 days (IQR, 9-22 days) for SJS/TEN, 21 days (IQR, 17-28 days) for DRESS syndrome, and 26 days (IQR, 7-29 days) for AIN. Overall, 11 patients (16%) died, and 4 (6%) had deaths attributed to the HSR.

CONCLUSION

Vancomycin causes a variety of HSRs; the most commonly identified were nonimmediate HSRs, with LABD being most frequent. We observed a high frequency of HSR mortality. Further data are needed to understand the frequency and severity of vancomycin HSRs.

Two cases with HSS/DRESS syndrome developing after prosthetic joint surgery: does vancomycin-laden bone cement play a role in this syndrome?

We report two cases of hypersensitivity syndrome/drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (HSS/DRESS) syndrome following systemic and local (via antibiotic laden bone cement (ALBC)) exposures to vancomycin. Both cases developed symptoms 2-4 weeks after the initiation of treatment. They responded to systemic corticosteroid treatment and were cured completely. Various drug groups may cause HSS/DRESS syndrome, and vancomycin-related cases do not exceed 2-5% of the reported cases. Almost all of these cases developed the syndrome following systemic exposure to vancomycin. ALBC seems to be the safer antibiotic administration method, as systemic antibiotic levels did not reach a toxic threshold level. However, local administration may not always be sufficient for bone-related/joint-related infections; these infections may require systemic antibiotics as well. As HSS/DRESS syndrome can mimic infectious diseases, it must be considered during differential diagnosis before suspecting failure of treatment and initiation of a different antibiotic course.

Association of vancomycin serum concentrations with efficacy in patients with MRSA infections: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Recent Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines for the treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections recommend maintaining vancomycin trough concentrations of 15-20 mg/L for serious infections. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of all studies assessing the impact of low (<15 mg/L) vs. high (≥ 15 mg/L) vancomycin trough level on the efficacy of MRSA infections treatment. Four prospective and 12 retrospective studies were included (2003 participants). No significant difference was demonstrated between low and high vancomycin trough level for the outcome of all-cause mortality (odds ratio (OR) 1.07, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.78-1.46, I(2) = 28%). In studies evaluating mainly MRSA pneumonia, there was significantly higher mortality with low vancomycin level (OR 1.78, 95% CI 1.11-2.84). No significant difference was demonstrated in treatment failure rates (OR 1.25, 95% CI 0.88-1.78, I(2) = 51%). However, excluding one outlier study from the analysis, treatment failure became significantly higher in patients with low vancomycin trough level (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.12-1.91, I(2) = 16%). Microbiologic failure rates were significantly higher in patients with low vancomycin levels (OR 1.56, 95% CI 1.08-2.26, I(2) = 0%). Nephrotoxicity was significantly higher with vancomycin levels of ≥ 15 mg/L. However, no cases of irreversible renal damage were reported. Current data on the effectiveness of higher vancomycin trough levels in the treatment of MRSA infections are limited to few prospective and mainly retrospective studies. Our findings support the current recommendations for maintaining vancomycin trough levels of ≥ 15 mg/L in the treatment of severe MRSA infections, although no difference in all-cause mortality was observed.

Severe DRESS syndrome managed with therapeutic plasma exchange

Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome is a rare but increasingly described phenomenon of immune activation and organ dysfunction in association with a wide variety of medications. This reaction shows a broad spectrum of clinical presentation and severity, ranging from mild to lethal. Treatment strategies of immune suppression appear be helpful in some cases, but treatment failures occur frequently with reported mortality rates of 5% to 10%. We present a pediatric case of DRESS syndrome associated with either lamotrigine or bupropion, leading to multiorgan involvement and life-threatening complications of respiratory failure and cardiac arrest. After failing to improve with removal of these medications and administration of systemic corticosteroids, our patient showed dramatic, sustained clinical response to therapeutic plasma exchange. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of therapeutic plasma exchange used for life-threatening DRESS syndrome in a pediatric patient. This case suggests needed research for this therapeutic option in life-threatening DRESS syndrome resistant to high-dose steroids.

DRESS with delayed onset acute interstitial nephritis and profound refractory eosinophilia secondary to Vancomycin

Background

Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms (DRESS) is a relatively rare clinical entity; even more so in response to vancomycin.

Methods

Case report.

Results

We present a severe case of vancomycin-induced DRESS syndrome, which on presentation included only skin, hematological and mild liver involvement. The patient further developed severe acute interstitial nephritis, eosinophilic pneumonitis, central nervous system (CNS) involvement and worsening hematological abnormalities despite immediate discontinuation of vancomycin and parenteral corticosteroids. High-dose corticosteroids for a prolonged period were necessary and tapering of steroids a challenge due to rebound-eosinophilia and skin involvement.

Conclusion

Patients with DRESS who are relatively resistant to corticosteroids with delayed onset of certain organ involvement should be treated with a more prolonged corticosteroid tapering schedule. Vancomycin is increasingly being recognized as a culprit agent in this syndrome.

Vancomycin-induced neutropenia: is it dose- or duration-related?

OBJECTIVE

To systematically evaluate the literature to determine whether vancomycin-induced neutropenia is dose- or duration-related and provide clinicians with feasible treatment alternatives.

DATA SOURCES

A literature search of PubMed (1949-November 2010), MEDLINE (1950-November 2010), EMBASE (1980-November 2010), and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (1970-November 2010) was performed using the terms vancomycin, neutropenia, and leukopenia. Citations from publications were reviewed for additional references.

STUDY SELECTION AND DATA EXTRACTION

Studies and case reports were included if they reported neutropenia with vancomycin administration and excluded if they did not describe vancomycin dosages and/or concentrations, or if neutropenia resolved while the patient was still receiving vancomycin. Cases with significant confounders and those in which authors provided minimal information about patients were also excluded.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Seven retrospective chart reviews (ie, case series) and 33 case reports were identified. Of these, 3 retrospective reviews and 26 case reports met inclusion criteria. To our knowledge, no prospective studies have assessed this clinical complication. Data suggest that vancomycin-induced neutropenia may not be completely related to daily dosages, total cumulative dosage, or supratherapeutic vancomycin concentrations. Furthermore, evidence suggests that neutropenia is more likely associated with therapy longer than 7 days, with the majority of episodes occurring beyond 20 days of therapy. Given these findings, a practical approach is to monitor white blood cell (WBC) count with a differential (including absolute neutrophil count) once a week in patients who are receiving vancomycin for more than 7 days.

CONCLUSIONS

Vancomycin-induced neutropenia is most likely associated with prolonged vancomycin exposure. Patients receiving vancomycin for longer than 7 days should have WBC count, differential, monitored weekly. Vancomycin should be discontinued if there is a high clinical suspicion of it causing neutropenia, and an alternative agent should be initiated. Prospective case-controlled studies are needed to better characterize this adverse event.