Early antibiotic treatment of pyelonephritis in children is still mandatory

[Antimicrobial resistance patterns in pediatric febrile urinary tract infection and empirical antibacterial therapy. An epidemiological study in secondary and tertiary care centers in the north-east of France in 2019-2020]

BACKGROUND

Febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common health issue in pediatrics that can lead to serious infectious and renal complications, it requires early diagnosis and a targeted use of antibiotics. The aim of our study was to describe local bacterial agents causing febrile UTIs and their resistance patterns and confront the results with currently used empirical antibacterial therapy in pediatrics emergency departments in Strasbourg and Saverne.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We used billing codes (international classification of diseases) to identify all inpatients treated for febrile UTIs in two French pediatric emergency departments between January 2019 and December 2020. Microbial results of urine cultures were retrieved from the laboratory information system.

RESULTS

Among 214 microbial results from 208 patients, the distribution of uropathogens was 82% Escherichia coli, with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase in 2.8%, 7% Enterococcus faecalis, 5% Klebsiella, 2% Proteus mirabilis. E. coli was resistant respectively to amoxicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and cotrimoxazol in 43, 33 and 14% of samples. A third-generation cephalosporin administered intravenously was mainly used (98%) as empirical treatment. Less than 2% of patients were treated with oral cephalosporin from the start.

CONCLUSION

We present the spectrum of uropathogens and susceptibility test results in pediatric UTIs as well as the susceptibility pattern of E. coli, a local treatment protocol was designed based on our results in conformity with national guidelines.

Pediatric urinary tract infection: does the evidence support aggressively pursuing the diagnosis?

The epidemiology of pediatric fever has changed considerably during the past 2 decades with the development of vaccines against the most common bacterial pathogens causing bacteremia and meningitis. The decreasing incidence of these 2 conditions among vaccinated children has led to an emphasis on urinary tract infection as a remaining source of potentially hidden infections in febrile children. Emerging literature, however, has led to questions about both the degree and nature of the danger posed by urinary tract infection in nonverbal children, whereas the aggressive pursuit of the diagnosis consumes resources and leads to patient discomfort, medical risks, and potential overdiagnosis. We review both early and emerging literature to examine the utility and efficacy of early identification and treatment of urinary tract infection in children younger than 24 months. We conclude that in well children of this age, it may be reasonable to withhold or delay testing for urinary tract infection if signs of other sources are apparent or if the fever has been present for fewer than 4 to 5 days.

Development of a score based on urinalysis to improve the management of urinary tract infection in children

BACKGROUND

The need for reducing unnecessary antibiotic treatment is being emphasized in the management of urinary tract infections (UTI), a disease frequent in childhood. An ideal test should provide early diagnosis without the waiting times of urine culture, but even a simple test of exclusion could significantly improve patient management.

METHODS

We evaluated the sensitivity, specificity, negative and positive predictive value of automated microscopy IRIS iQ200 combined with the dipstick analyses in children with suspected UTI. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify the set of variables that best predict positive culture results and develop a numerical risk score.

RESULTS

Of 474 consecutive urine samples retrospectively analyzed, 69 were positive at urine culture with prevalence of infection of 14.6%. Parameters significantly associated with the presence of infection in multivariable analysis were age <1 year (p<0.001), leukocyte esterase ≥ 15×10^6/L (p<0.001), number of small particles (ASP) ≥ 5500 × 10^6/L (p<0.001) and bacteria ≥ 3 × 10^6/L (p=0.01). The derived score ranged from 0 to 10, with higher values indicating higher risk of UTI. The area under the score ROC curve was 79% (95% CI 0.72-0.85), and was better than those of the individual urinary chemical and microscopic analyses.

CONCLUSIONS

This routine method could improve the management of UTI in children by early identifying patients with low probability of infection, for whom antibiotic treatment can be withheld until the results of urine culture become available.