Occurrence of the L.E. Phenomenon in a Patient with a Severe Penicillin Reaction

THE diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus has been greatly facilitated by the discovery of the L. E. cell.1 Several reports have appeared in the literature emphasizing the specificity of the test.2 3 4 5 Dubois6 stated that in over 1000 tests performed, a false-positive reaction had yet to be encountered and that, in his experience, this test is pathognomonic if positive. Walsh and Egan7 also commented on the reliability of this test in the diagnosis of disseminated lupus, but later Walsh and Zimmerman8 reported the finding of L. E. cells in concentrated bone-marrow preparations from 3 patients with severe penicillin reactions. Haserick,9 in . . .