Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus infections among children in an outpatient clinic, China ()
ABSTRACT
Objective: We aimed to investigate the epidemiology and identify antibiotic resistance patterns of isolates from children with skin and soft tissue infections attending an outpatient clinic in Southern China. Method: An observational study of outpatient pediatric patients was conducted in a rural area of Guangxi. Infections were characterized in 230 patients and staphylococcal isolates tested for susceptibility to a range of antibiotics. Results: Among the 307 patients, 38.5% were infants. Culture yielded Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) in 230 patients, of which 24 (10.4%) were methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). Staphylococcal strains were most isolated from hand, foot and umbilicus. The 1-12 mon group had the highest staphylococcal infection rate (86%), followed by the 6-12 year group, but MRSA was more common in the older children (19.5% of S. aureus). MRSA had significantly more resistance than MSSA to chloromycin (46% vs 11%), clindamycin (67% vs 19%), gentamicin (33% vs 2%), rifampicin (25% vs 2.9%), and sulphamthoxazole-trimethoprim (17% vs 3%). Conclusion: S. aureus remains a leading cause of pediatric skin and soft tissue infections. Over 10% of isolates were methicillin-resistant with high rates of resistance to non-beta lactam antibiotics, reducing options for therapy and limiting choices for empirical treatment.
Share and Cite:
Ye, H. , Zeng, J. , Qin, W. , Feng, Y. and Tan, H. (2013) Characterization of
Staphylococcus aureus infections among children in an outpatient clinic, China.
Open Journal of Clinical Diagnostics,
3, 149-153. doi:
10.4236/ojcd.2013.34026.
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