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Published on: June 23, 2015

Urinary tract infections among children under age 3: distribution of pathogens, evolution of antimicrobial

Meixiang Huang1, Qiufen Wei1, Xiaomei Wei1

  • 1Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Nanning 530002, Guangxi, China.

American Journal of Translational Research
|July 23, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Fever is the main symptom of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in young children. Gram-negative bacteria are the most common cause, with increasing concerns about multidrug-resistant strains like extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing Enterobacteriaceae.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric infectious diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Antimicrobial resistance

Background:

  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in children under 3 years old.
  • Understanding pathogen distribution and antimicrobial resistance is crucial for effective treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the pathogens causing UTIs in young children.
  • To track changes in antimicrobial resistance patterns.
  • To assess the clinical significance of UTI findings in this age group.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 727 pediatric patients (≤3 years old) with UTIs.
  • Data collected from January 2021 to December 2023.
  • Investigation of causative pathogens and antimicrobial resistance trends.

Main Results:

  • Fever was the most common symptom (56.12%).
  • Gram-negative bacteria (56.26%) were the predominant pathogens, followed by Gram-positive bacteria (30.26%) and fungi (13.48%).
  • Decreasing resistance trends were observed for *Enterococcus faecalis* and *Klebsiella pneumoniae* to specific antibiotics.

Conclusions:

  • Fever is the primary clinical presentation of UTIs in children aged 3 years and younger.
  • Gram-negative bacteria are the main causative agents.
  • Multidrug-resistant strains, particularly extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing *Enterobacteriaceae*, are a significant concern.
Abstract

Keywords:
Infants and young childrenantimicrobial susceptibility testingclinical characteristicsevolution of antimicrobial resistancepathogenic bacteriaurinary tract infection

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