THIMEROSAL IN INFLUENZA VACCINE: AN IMMEDIATE HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTION

摘要

Thimerosal is a mercury derivative used as a preservative and bacteriostatic agent. We report an immediate hyper-sensitivity reaction after skin testing with an adult influenza vaccine that seems to be due to thimerosal. The patient is a 31-year-old woman with seasonal allergic rhinitis and irritable bowel syndrome. She developed con-junctival erythema and local pain after using a thimerosal -containing contact lens solution 15 years before the evaluation. She then switched to and tolerated the same brand of contact lens solution without thimerosal. She received a booster dose of tetanus toxoid (0.05 mug of thimerosal per 0.5-mL dose) 2lA years before this evaluation without any difficulty. Because of her concerns regarding thimerosal, she received a thimerosal-free pediatric influenza vaccine 4 months earlier with no adverse events. #