amoxicillin-potassium-clavulanate-combination and Bronchiolitis

Acute lower respiratory tract infections in children are a worldwide public health problem, with an estimated 4 million potentially preventable deaths every year. Until recently, penicillin and related drugs were the treatment of choice for empiric therapy of paediatric lower respiratory tract infections. However, concerns over the emergence of penicillin-resistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae and beta-lactamase-producing strains of Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis have led physicians to turn increasingly towards alternatives, such as the third generation cephalosporins. The oral extended spectrum cephalosporin cefpodoxime proxetil is highly active against the bacterial pathogens commonly associated with childhood lower respiratory tract infections. In order to evaluate its clinical efficacy in children with acute febrile lower respiratory tract infections, an international, multicenter, comparative, randomized open study was conducted in children ages 3 months to 11.5 years. Of 348 cases enrolled, 234 were randomized to cefpodoxime proxetil (8 mg/kg/day twice daily) and 114 to amoxicilin/clavanulate (amoxicillin 40 mg/kg/day 3 times a day). The duration of treatment was 10 days. Pretreatment diagnosis was pneumonia in 292 patients, bronchiolitis in 19 patients and acute bronchitis in 37 patients. Pathogens isolated from 59 cases included H. influenzae (47.5%), S. pneumoniae (23.7%), M. catarrhalis (11.9%) and Haemophilus parainfluenzae (6.8%). Clinical efficacy was evaluable in 278 children at the end of treatment when 95.2% of patients in the cefpodoxime proxetil group and 96.7% of patients in the amoxicillin/clavanulate group showed a satisfactory clinical response (cured or improved). The improvement was sustained at the follow-up visit, 10 to 20 days after completion of treatment.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Administration, Oral; Amoxicillin; Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate Combination; Bronchiolitis; Bronchitis; Cefpodoxime Proxetil; Ceftizoxime; Child; Child, Preschool; Clavulanic Acids; Drug Administration Schedule; Drug Therapy, Combination; Humans; Infant; Pneumonia, Bacterial; Treatment Outcome

Respiratory syncytial virus is the most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections in infants and young children. While the majority of infants display only mild upper respiratory tract infection or occasionally otitis media, around one-third will develop an infection of the lower respiratory tract, usually bronchiolitis. There is now convincing evidence from a number of cohorts that respiratory syncytial virus is a significant, independent risk factor for later wheezing, at least within the first decade of life. The wide variation in response to respiratory syncytial virus infection suggests that susceptibility and disease are influenced by multiple host-intrinsic factors.. A 2-year-old white girl presented to our Pediatric Allergy Clinic with recurrent crackles in addition to cough, fevers, and labored breathing since her first respiratory syncytial virus infection at the age of 7 months. She had been under the care of pulmonologists, who suspected childhood interstitial lung disease. She was hospitalized eight times due to exacerbation of symptoms and prescribed systemic and inhaled steroids, short-acting β2-mimetics, and antileukotriene. There was no short-term clinical improvement at that time between hospitalizations. During her hospital stay at the Pneumonology and Cystic Fibrosis Department in Rabka a bronchoscopy with bronchoalveolar lavage was performed. Laboratory bacteriological tests found high colony count of Moraxella catarrhalis (β-lactamase positive), sensitive to amoxicillin-clavulanate, in bronchial secretions and swabs from her nose. After this, infections were treated with antibiotics; she remained in good condition without symptoms. Crackles and wheezing recurred only during symptoms of infections. Therefore, we hypothesize that respiratory syncytial virus infection at an early age might cause severe damage of the lung epithelium and prolonged clinical symptoms, mainly crackles and wheezing, each time the child has a respiratory infection.. This case illustrates the importance of respiratory syncytial virus infection in an immunocompetent child. Pediatricians need to have a high index of suspicion and knowledge of recurrent symptoms associated with severe damage of the lung epithelium to establish the correct diagnosis.

Topics: Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate Combination; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bronchiolitis; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Moraxella catarrhalis; Moraxellaceae Infections; Nose; Respiratory Sounds; Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infections; Respiratory Syncytial Virus, Human; Respiratory Tract Infections