He did the same work in St. Rochus hospital in Pest, Hungary, and published his findings in 1860, but his discovery was again ignored.In 1935, Leonard Colebrook showed Prontosil was effective against haemolytic streptococcus and hence a cure for puerperal fever. Notable cases
Elite status was no protection against postpartum infections, as the deaths of several English queens attest. Elizabeth of York, queen consort of Henry VII, died of puerperal fever one week after giving birth to a daughter, who also died. Her son Henry VIII had two wives who died this way, Jane Seymour and Catherine Parr. Suzanne Barnard, mother of philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau, contracted childbed fever after giving birth to him and died nine days later. Her infant son was also in perilous health following the birth; the adult Rousseau later wrote that "I came into the world with so few signs of life that little hope was entertained of preserving me". He was nursed back to health by an aunt. French natural philosopher Émilie du Châtelet died in 1749. Mary Wollstonecraft, author of Vindication of the Rights of Woman, died ten days after giving birth to her second daughter, who grew up to write Frankenstein.
Newborns
There has been no established safety and effectiveness for use in premature infants and neonates. Elderly
No overall differences in safety or effectiveness were observed in clinical trials comparing elderly and younger subjects, however the trials could not eliminate the possibility that some older individuals may have a higher level of sensitivity. Additional considerations
People with kidney disease and those on hemodialysis may need the dose adjusted. Cefazolin levels are not significantly affected by liver disease. As with other antibiotics, cefazolin may interact with other medications being taken. Some important drugs that may interact with cefazolin such as probenecid. Side effects
Side effects associated with use of cefazolin therapy include:
Common (1-10%): diarrhea, stomach pain or upset stomach, vomiting, and rash. Uncommon (<1%): dizziness, headache, fatigue, itching, transient hepatitis.Patients with penicillin allergies could experience a potential reaction to cefazolin and other cephalosporins. As with other antibiotics, patients experiencing watery and/or bloody stools occurring up to three months following therapy should contact their prescriber.Like those of several other cephalosporins, the chemical structure of cefazolin contains an N-methylthiodiazole (NMTD or 1-MTD) side-chain. As the antibiotic is broken down in the body, it releases free NMTD, which can cause hypoprothrombinemia (likely due to inhibition of the enzyme vitamin K epoxide reductase) and a reaction with ethanol similar to that produced by disulfiram (Antabuse), due to inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase. Those with an allergy to penicillin may develop a cross sensitivity to cefazolin. Mechanism of action
Cefazolin inhibits cell wall biosynthesis by binding penicillin-binding proteins which stops peptidoglycan synthesis.