Retrospective Study on Staphylococcus aureus Resistance Profile and Antibiotic Use in a Pediatric Population

Abstract

The growing phenomenon of antibiotic resistance and the presence of limited data concerning the pediatric area prompted us to focus on Staphylococcus aureus infection in this study, its antibiotic resistance profile, and the therapeutic management of affected children. We conducted a retrospective study by collecting clinical data on infants and children with antibiogram-associated S. aureus infection. We enrolled 1210 patients with a mean age of 0.9 years. We analyzed the resistance patterns and found 61.5% resistance to oxacillin, 58.4% resistance to cephalosporins, 41.6% resistance to aminoglycosides, and 38.3% resistance to fluoroquinolones. Importantly, we found no resistance to glycopeptides, a key antibiotic for MRSA infections whose resistance is increasing worldwide. We also found that the main risk factors associated with antibiotic resistance are being aged between 0 and 28 days, the presence of devices, and comorbidities. Antibiotic resistance is a growing concern; knowing the resistance profiles makes it possible to better target the therapy; however, it is important to use antibiotics according to the principles of antibiotic stewardship to limit their spread.