Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 31, 2025
How to Administer Near-Infrared Spectroscopy in Critically ill Neonates, Infants, and Children
Published on: August 19, 2020
Routine antibiotics for infants less than 6 months of age with growth failure/faltering: a systematic review
Aamer Imdad1, Fanny F Chen2, Melissa François2
1Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics, SUNY Upstate Medical University, Syracuse, New York, USA imdada@upstate.edu.
Insights
No studies were found on routine antibiotic use for infants under six months with growth faltering. More research is needed to determine the risks and benefits of antibiotics in malnourished infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Infant growth faltering is a significant concern, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
- The role of routine antibiotic administration in managing malnutrition in infants under six months remains unclear.
- Current World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines exist for severe acute malnutrition treatment.
Conclusions:
- There is a critical paucity of evidence on the efficacy and safety of routine antibiotic use in malnourished infants under six months.
- Future research with robust methodologies and adequate sample sizes is essential to address this knowledge gap and inform clinical practice.
Objective:
This systematic review commissioned by WHO aimed to synthesise evidence from current literature on the effects of systematically given, routine use of antibiotics for infants under 6 months of age with growth failure/faltering.
Settings:
Low-income and middle-income countries.
Participants:
The study population was infants less than 6 months of age with growth failure/faltering.
Intervention:
The intervention group was infants who received no antibiotics or antibiotics other than those recommended in 2013 guidelines by WHO to treat childhood severe acute malnutrition. The comparison group was infants who received antibiotics according to the aforementioned guidelines.
Primary And Secondary Outcomes:
The primary outcome was all-cause mortality, and secondary outcomes: clinical deterioration, antimicrobial resistance, recovery from comorbidity, adverse events, markers of intestinal inflammation, markers of systemic inflammation, hospital-acquired infections and non-response. The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach was considered to report the overall evidence quality for an outcome.
Results:
We screened 5137 titles and abstracts and reviewed the full text of 157 studies. None of the studies from the literature search qualified to answer the question for this systematic review.
Conclusions:
There is a paucity of evidence on the routine use of antibiotics for the treatment of malnutrition in infants less than 6 months of age. Future studies with adequate sample sizes are needed to assess the potential risks and benefits of antibiotics in malnourished infants under 6 months of age.
Prospero Registration Number:
CRD42021277073.
Related Concept Videos
00:57Antibiotic Selection
01:28Acute Pyelonephritis II: Diagnostic Studies and Management
01:21Factors Affecting Drug Response: Overview
01:30Development of Antibiotic Resistance
01:30Urinary Tract Infection III: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care
01:18Drugs Affecting GI Tract Motility: Antimicrobials as Antidiarrheal Agents