The rate of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in children has been on the rise since 1999, according to a study in the Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society.
Researchers analyzed data from 1999 to 2011 reported to The Surveillance Network, a network tracking in vitro antimicrobial activity patterns, and identified the rates of third-generation cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacteriaceae and extended-spectrum B-lactamase-producing bacteria infections.
For approximately 370,000 pediatric isolates, the rate of G3CR infections from 1999 to 2001 was 1.39 percent and increased to 3.0 percent from 2010 to 2011. The rate of ESBL producing infections also increased from 0.28 percent from 1999 to 2001 to 0.92 percent from 2010 to 2011.
Researchers identified Escherichi coli as the most common isolate, responsible for 67.8 percent of G3CR infections and 65.2 percent of ESBL infections.
Additionally, 74 percent of ESBL infections were resistant to three or more antibiotic classes.
Researchers suggest more studies should focus on identifying host factors and exposure risks that may lead to infection in children.
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