Infections caused by a type of bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics are increasing in U.S. children and are associated with longer hospital stays.
Resistant Infections Rising, With Longer Hospital Stays for US Kids
Bacterial infections resistant to multiple drugs are especially concerning in children, for whom there are a limited number of stronger antibiotics.
Bacterial infections resistant to multiple drugs are especially concerning in children, for whom there are a limited number of stronger antibiotics.
‘Infections caused by a type of bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics are increasing in U.S. children and are associated with longer hospital stays and a trend towards greater risk of death.’
Previously acquired mostly while children were already in the hospital, the new findings also suggest the infections--caused by bacteria from the Enterobacteriaceae family that are resistant to multiple drugs--may be spreading more often in the community. "Antibiotic resistance increasingly threatens our ability to treat our children's infections," said study author Sharon B. Meropol, MD, PhD, of University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. "Efforts to control this trend are urgently needed from all of us, such as using antibiotics only when necessary, and eliminating agricultural use of antibiotics in healthy animals."
In the retrospective study, researchers analyzed data from 48 children's hospitals throughout the U.S., focusing on approximately 94,000 patients under the age of 18 who were diagnosed with Enterobacteriaceae-associated infections between 2007 and 2015. The proportion of these infections caused by bacteria that were resistant to multiple antibiotics increased from 0.2 percent in 2007 to 1.5 percent in 2015, a more than 700 percent increase in prevalence over the eight-year period.
Very Few Parents Confident of Feeding Kids Healthy Food
A majority of parents agree with the importance of healthy diets during childhood, only a third are confident about their child's eating habits.
A majority of parents agree with the importance of healthy diets during childhood, only a third are confident about their child's eating habits.
Most of the resistant infections were present when the children were admitted to the hospital, suggesting the bacteria may be increasingly spreading in the community. Older kids, children with other health conditions, and those living in the Western U.S. were more likely to have the infections, the study found. The results build on previous research reporting rising rates of these infections in adults and outbreaks in hospitalized children, especially in less-developed countries in Latin America and Asia, where antibiotics are available over the counter.
Advertisement
Antibiotics are an Effective Treatment for Appendicitis in Kids, Instead of Surgery
Appendicitis is currently treated through an operation to remove the appendix, known as an appendicectomy, and it is the most common cause of emergency surgery in children.
Appendicitis is currently treated through an operation to remove the appendix, known as an appendicectomy, and it is the most common cause of emergency surgery in children.
Fast Facts
Advertisement
Pakistan and UAE Kids Undergo Successful Liver Transplant
Crigler Najjar Syndrome deficiency results in toxic form of bilirubin to rise in the blood to a very high level, which can cross into the brain and produce complications.
Crigler Najjar Syndrome deficiency results in toxic form of bilirubin to rise in the blood to a very high level, which can cross into the brain and produce complications.
Caused by members of the Enterobacteriaceae family of bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics, these infections may be increasingly spreading in the community, not just in hospitals.
Efforts to control rising antibiotic resistance, including the appropriate use of antibiotics in humans and animals, and the development of new antibiotics, are urgently needed.
Source-Eurekalert
