Piperacillin-Tazobactam-Induced Neutropenia: A Case Report

Piperacillin/tazobactam (TZP) is a beta-lactam antibiotic used for the treatment of many infections and is generally considered safe. Neutropenia is a rare but serious adverse effect of TZP. In this study, we present the case of piperacillin/tazobactam-induced neutropenia in an elderly patient, from which clinical data and blood samples were collected. Leucocytes and neutrophils counts were decreased on day 3 after initiating the treatment and worsened on day 5. We hypothesize that TZP might be able to cause neutropenia in a period shorter than 10 days. The relation between the duration of treatment with TZP and the onset of neutropenia requires additional studies. J Med Cases. 2017;8(9):280-282 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jmc2889w