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Changing epidemiology of bacteremia in infants aged 1 week to 3 months

Tara L Greenhow1, Yun-Yi Hung, Arnd M Herz

  • 1Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Pediatrics, Kaiser Permanente, Northern California, San Francisco, California, USA. tara.greenhow@kp.org

Pediatrics
|February 29, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Bacteremia in young infants is infrequent, with Escherichia coli being the most common pathogen. Current antibiotic recommendations for suspected bacteremia in infants may need revision based on this epidemiology.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Bacteremia in young infants remains a significant clinical concern.
  • Limited recent data exists on the epidemiology of infant bacteremia.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the current epidemiology of bacteremia in young infants.
  • To evaluate pathogen prevalence and antibiotic resistance patterns.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of blood cultures from full-term infants (1 week to 3 months old).
  • Data collected from January 2005 to December 2009.
  • Inclusion of infants presenting for care with blood cultures drawn.

Main Results:

  • Low incidence of true bacteremia (0.57 per 1000 births); 2% of cultures positive for pathogens.
  • Escherichia coli was the most common pathogen (56%), often associated with urinary tract infections.
  • Ampicillin-resistant pathogens accounted for 36% of isolates.

Conclusions:

  • Bacteremia in young infants is infrequent.
  • Findings suggest a need to re-evaluate current presumptive antibiotic treatment guidelines for infants aged 1 week to 3 months.
Abstract

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