Young Resistance
Children’s immune systems have yet not matured, which makes them more prone to infection than adults. Antibiotics are therefore crucial drugs for the young, but even children are plagued by antibiotic resistance, an analysis shows.
Children are often ill. This is not only the impression of overly-concerned parents, but a medical fact. A child’s immune system is not fully developed, meaning the immune system has not yet learned how to fight off intruders effectively.
This makes antibiotics even more critically important for children. Scientists led by Ashley Bryce at the University of Bristol recently discovered that when treating infections of the urinary tract, some antibiotics failed to help. The researchers presented their findings in the „British Medical Journal“, a research magazine.
The scientists took a systematic approach. First they screened for studies that dealt with antibiotic resistance in children’s urinary tract infections caused by E. coli. The scientists found 58 such studies from 26 countries.
When the researchers analyzed the data, they reached an unsettling conclusion. In richer countries, or OECD countries, every second sample analyzed had resistance to the antibiotic ampicillin. Children that received treatment with an antibiotic before were more likely to have from resistance.
In nations outside the OECD, generally poorer countries, the resistance quota for ampicillin was as high as 80 percent. The difference could be explained by more frequent use of ampicillin in these countries. Resistance to other antibiotics were also found, but at much lower rates.
The scientists conclude that antibiotic resistance should be taken seriously when considering to treat children with antibiotics. For example, before selecting an antibiotic, a physician should consider the medical history of the young patient and possibly even test for resistance bacteria.
