This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Ampicillin (amoxicillin) and glandular fever

Authoring team

It is important to avoid the use of ampicillin (and amoxicillin (amoxycillin *)) in glandular fever because it increases the occurrence of a macular, pruritic rash.

A recent review suggests that the incidence of this occurring is not as high as previously thought (1)

Even though it is associated with penicillin, this rash does not represent a true penicillin allergy.

It typically resolves in a few days after discontinuing the antibiotic. (2)

 

* Amoxicillin became the British Approved Name for amoxycillin in 2004

  1. Thompson DF, Ramos CL. Antibiotic-induced rash in patients with infectious mononucleosis. Ann Pharmacother. 2017 Feb;51(2):154-62.
  2. Mergoum AM. Amoxicillin rash in infectious mononucleosis. N Engl J Med. 2021 Sep 9;385(11):1033.

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2025 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.