Study warns of use of certain antibiotics to treat common childhood infections

The findings, published in The Lancet Regional Health, add to evidence that common bacteria that cause sepsis and meningitis in children are often resistant to prescription antibiotics and suggest that global guidelines on antibiotic use are outdated and need to be updated.

The worst-affected regions are Southeast Asia and the Pacific, including neighboring Indonesia and the Philippines, where thousands of children die needlessly every year due to antibiotic resistance.

The World Health Organization declares antimicrobial resistance (AMR) to be one of the top ten global public health threats facing humanity. It is estimated that there are approximately 3 million cases of neonatal sepsis worldwide each year, with up to 570,000 deaths: many of these are due to a lack of effective antibiotics to treat drug-resistant bacteria.

One antibiotic, specifically ceftriaxone, may only be effective in treating sepsis or meningitis in one-third of newborns, research has found. Ceftriaxone is also widely used in Australia to treat many infections in children, such as pneumonia and urinary tract infections.

Additionally, another antibiotic, gentamicin, was found to be potentially effective in treating less than half of cases of sepsis and meningitis in children. Gentamicin is often used with aminopenicillins, and studies have also shown that gentamicin is not as effective at fighting bloodstream infections in infants and children.

Lead author Dr Phoebe Williams, from the University’s School of Public Health and Sydney Institute of Infectious Diseases, is an infectious disease specialist whose research focuses on reducing antimicrobial resistance in high-load healthcare settings in Southeast Asia.

Antibiotic resistance is a greater problem in children than in adults because new antibiotics are less likely to be tested and made available to children. “We are not immune to this problem: the burden of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotics are on our doorstep,” he said.

«Antibiotic resistance is growing faster than we thought. We urgently need new solutions to stop aggressive multidrug-resistant infections and the unnecessary deaths of thousands of children every year,” warned Dr. Williams.

The study analyzed 6,648 bacterial isolates from 11 countries in 86 publications to review the antibiotic susceptibility of common bacteria causing infections in children.

Dr. Williams explained, “The best way to address antibiotic resistance in childhood infections is to prioritize funding to research new antibiotic treatments for children and newborns.”

“Antibiotic clinics are primarily for adults, while children and newborns are often excluded. “This means we have very limited options and data for new treatments,” he said.

Dr Williams is currently studying an older antibiotic, fosfomycin, as a temporary lifeline to treat multi-drug-resistant urinary tract infections in Australian children.

It is also working with the WHO Pediatric Medicines Optimization Committee to ensure children have access to antibiotics to treat multi-drug-resistant infections as quickly as possible to reduce antimicrobial resistance deaths in children.

“This study sheds light on important issues related to the availability of effective antibiotics to treat serious infections in children,” said senior author, Director of the Oxford Cambodia Medical Research Center at Angkor Children’s Hospital in Siem Reap and professor of pediatric microbiology at Siem Reap University. Oxford, Paul Turner.