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Antibiotic Resistance Increasing Among Children,
Study Reports
Antibiotic resistance is a growing problem among children, researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston reported in a presentation at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America in San Diego, Oct. 9-12.
Gloria P. Heresi, M.D.
Between July 1, 2000, and June 30, 2001, 60 children were hospitalized and treated for infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus, also known as staph infections, at Memorial Hermann Children’s Hospital. Of those, 27 (45 percent) were determined to have resistant bacteria, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
“We’re continuing to survey children with staph infections, and we’ve found that in the ensuing two years, the incidence of children with infections resistant to antibiotics has risen to nearly 70 percent,” said Gloria P. Heresi, M.D., associate professor of pediatric infectious diseases at the Medical School.
In addition to the troubling findings about resistance, researchers also found that the severity of infection caused by the resistant strains of staph is much greater than the infections caused by the more susceptible strains. One child in the study developed a severe MRSA hip infection and, as a result, developed a blood clot in the leg. Such blood clots can travel to the lungs and cause death. Also, many MRSA infections are deep in the skin and create an abscess that needs to be surgically drained.
In about half of pediatric cases, researchers can pinpoint a risk factor for contracting MRSA, such as being in day care, having a family member who is hospitalized, or having taken many antibiotics. However, in the other half of cases, there are no identifiable risk factors for MRSA infections, Heresi said.
When the bacteria are determined to be MRSA, physicians are faced with a difficult decision regarding which antibiotic to prescribe.
“Our antibiotic choices are being limited, and the infections are becoming more severe,” Heresi added. “It appears that the bacteria are becoming more virulent as well as resistant, which is a concern.”
Vancomycin has become the standard antimicrobial therapy for serious infections caused by MRSA, but it must be administered intravenously, and there is concern for developing resistance to it. Clindamycin and a combination of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole can be given in pill form, but some MRSA infections are resistant. “A new antibiotic, linezolid, can be given via a pill or intravenously, but resistance is beginning to emerge to it, and it’s very expensive,” Heresi said.
Co-authors of the paper with Heresi are: John F. Mohr III, Pharm.D., instructor in infectious diseases, Medical School; Audrey Wanger, Ph.D., associate professor of pathology and laboratory medicine, Medical School; and Dehuti Patel, Pharm.D., Memorial Hermann Hospital.
— by Shannon Rasp, Public Affairs