TITLE:
Bacteriological Profile of Febrile Neutropenia in the Pediatric Oncology Department of the Mother-Child Hospital of Bingerville (Ivory Coast)
AUTHORS:
Atteby Jean-Jacques Yao, Ekou Ahou Charlotte Amandine Attai-Niamien, Lorraine Roxanne Sodji Ahou, Adja Evelyne Akaffou
KEYWORDS:
Bacteriological Profile, Febrile Neutropenia, Pediatric Oncology
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.15 No.6,
November
19,
2025
ABSTRACT: Febrile neutropenia is a serious complication of cancer treatment. It reduces the body’s defenses and opens the door to infections. It constitutes a therapeutic emergency due to the major risk of morbidity and mortality. Antibiotic treatment is probabilistic, broad-spectrum and synergistic. It should be adapted to the bacterial ecology specific to each center. The objective of our study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical profile of cases of febrile neutropenia, identify the causative organisms and establish the antibiotic resistance profile of these organisms. A prospective observational descriptive study was carried out at the Mother and Child Hospital in Bingerville over a 2-year period, including patients in the pediatric oncology department admitted for or presenting on admission febrile neutropenia meeting the criteria of the international definition issued by the IDSA following chemotherapy treatment. It involved 25 episodes of febrile neutropenia with 20 patients. Patients with neutropenia were predominantly aged between 5 and 12 years, with a mean age of 8.9 ± 3.6 years and a male predominance (sex ratio = 1.8). Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) was common in 35% of cases, followed by osteosarcoma as a solid tumour in a further 30%. Half of our patients presented profound neutropenia with neutrophils below 100 elements/mm3, with a strong expression of the nose and throat (ENT)-Stomatological signs (25%) dominated by mucositis. Blood cultures were positive in 36% of cases and identified a germ, the most common was Escherichia coli (33.3%), followed by Staphylococcus aureus (22.2%) and Klebsiella pneumoniae (22.2%). The combination of ceftriaxone and gentamicin has been shown to be effective, with a 20% failure rate. The occurrence of febrile neutropenia with children remains a problem, but identification of the germs and their resistance profile allows for selecting an adapted antibiotic therapy.