The present study reports a case of tazobactam and piperacillin (TZP)-induced thrombocytopenia in an elderly patient, from which complete clinical data and peripheral blood samples were collected. Platelet numbers were decreased 1 day following TZP treatment initiation; however, they were revealed to have increased 1-2 days following withdrawal of TZP, and had reached normal levels 3-5 days later. There was no evidence of bone marrow suppression, antibodies against peripheral plasma platelets were absent and levels of complement C3 were decreased. These results suggested that TZP was able to cause rapid and reversible thrombocytopenia, which was not associated with bone marrow suppression but may have involved activation of complement C3. The results of the present study therefore suggest that doctors should be aware of the risk of thrombocytopenia in patients treated with TZP.
Keywords: piperacillin-tazobactam; thrombocytopenia.