The Penicillanyl Determinant

Gorevic and Levine 1981), points to the immunogenicity and sensitizing capacity of this compound. On the other hand, several attempts to detect antibodies in rabbits immunized with benzylpenicilloic acid have been unsuccessful (Josephson 1960 DE Weck 1962a,b). 

However, in these studies, no serious attempts were made ot assess the antibodies specific for penamaldate and penicillamine determinants, which are precisely those which could be expected. Benzylpenicilloic acid, when applied to guinea pig skin, seems able through whatever immunochemical mechanism to induce contact hypersensitivity (Levine 1960 a). 

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A more systematic use of reagents carrying some of the other structural determinants described below might reveals a different picture. Recent work by Assem and Vickers (1975) and by Edwards et al. (1982) has indicated the possibility that the penicillamine and penicillanyl determinants may be more frequently involved than hitherto realized. The relatively high frequency of positive skin tests to a penicillamine-polylysine conjugate in patients allergic to penicillins (Schneider et al. 1973) points to the same conclusion. 

Investigations of the formation of antigenic and allergenic determinants of benzylpenicil-hn have identified a list of determinants that inclndes the penicUloyl, penidllenate, peni-cUloic acid, peniUoic acid, penamaldate, penicoyl, penicillanyl, and penicillamine stmctnres. 

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