Ampicillin is generally considered the drug of choice in the treatment of otitis media in children under age 5.1 For this and other reasons it has become a frequently prescribed and yet still effective drug. The maculopapular rash that often accompanies its use is well known. My personal experience shows (disturbingly) that an increasing number of pediatricians are erroneously considering this benign rash as an allergic reaction not only to ampicillin but to penicillin as well.