Bacteriological and Antibiotic-Resistant Features of Respiratory Infections in Children

Abstract

In children, viral pathogens are more likely than in adults to cause respiratory tract infections (RTI). Compared to adults with RTI, surprisingly little is known about the usage of antibiotics in children. In order to prioritize the target age group for antibiotic stewardship initiatives, this prospective study sought to identify antibiotic overuse in children and adults with RTI using an expert panel reference standard. As a result, research on host indicators that could distinguish between bacterial and non-bacterial infections is gaining momentum. A significant worldwide public health issue is antibiotic resistance in common respiratory infection-causing bacteria, including Moraxella catarrhalis, Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Whether or whether antibiotics are medically necessary for a certain ailment, their use leads to the emergence of resistant microorganisms. Members of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the CDC recently released guidelines for the prudent use of antibiotics in common pediatric respiratory infections, such as tonsillopharyngitis, sinusitis, otitis media, and the common cold, in an effort to slow the spread of drug-resistant bacteria. The CDC/AAP guidelines for treating these conditions are reviewed in this article, along with the findings of clinical practice studies that attempted to enhance the prudent use of antibiotics. The significant misuse of antibiotics in RTI patients is confirmed by this worldwide prospective investigation. Children are more likely to have a viral infection, whereas adults with viral RTI are more likely to abuse antibiotics. All of these results point to the necessity of efficient measures to reduce antibiotic misuse in RTI patients of all ages.