Antibiotic Prescribing Patterns in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients With Clinically Suspected Enteric Fever: A...

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Infectious Diseases
• Antimicrobial Stewardship
• Clinical Microbiology

Background:

• Enteric fever causes significant childhood morbidity in developing nations, often treated empirically.
• Rising antimicrobial resistance and diagnostic challenges necessitate understanding real-world antibiotic use in pediatric enteric fever.
• This study addresses the need to describe antibiotic prescribing practices in hospitalized children with suspected enteric fever.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize antibiotic prescribing patterns in pediatric patients hospitalized with suspected enteric fever.
• To analyze the distribution of antibiotic use across various clinical and laboratory parameters.
• To provide insights into current empirical treatment strategies for enteric fever in children.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective observational study of 100 pediatric patients (>2 years) diagnosed with enteric fever.
• Data collected included demographics, clinical symptoms, vaccination history, and laboratory results (Widal test, inflammatory markers).
• Antibiotic utilization (ceftriaxone, ofloxacin, amikacin, doxycycline) was analyzed using descriptive statistics; associations explored via chi-square test.

Main Results:

• Injectable ceftriaxone was the most frequent empirical antibiotic (83%), followed by oral doxycycline (27%).
• Fever (90%) was the predominant symptom; laboratory findings indicated mild anemia and elevated inflammatory markers.
• Antibiotic selection varied with clinical and laboratory factors, but age was not significantly associated with choice.

Conclusions:

• Injectable ceftriaxone is the predominant empirical antibiotic for suspected pediatric enteric fever in this setting.
• Selective use of other agents was observed, reflecting current inpatient pediatric prescribing trends.
• Enhanced microbiological confirmation is crucial for optimizing antibiotic selection in enteric fever management.