Incidence of bacterial colonization in the throat and in urines at paediatric age with evaluation of sensitivity to common antibiotics

Objectives: To evaluate the incidence of bacterial colonization in the throat and in urines of children admitted to a paediatric ward in the year 1994. To test the sensitivity of isolates on the most common antibiotics used in therapy. Methods: The investigation was carried out on a group of 270 children (125 male and 145 female), aged between 3 months and 12 years, hospitalized with feverish infectious pathology in the department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases of the University 'La Sapienza' of Rome. The cultures of the throat swabs and on urines were performed on the admission of the children before the beginning of the therapy. Results: The throat-swab cultures showed pathogenous microrganisms in 232 samples (85,9%) with a slight prevalence of Gram-negative bacteria (122) with respect to Gram-positive (110) and saprophytic microbial flora (38). The urine cultures proved to be positive in 81 cases (30%) with a prevalence of Gram-negative (56) above Gram-positive isolates (25). Conclusions: The two/thirds of paediatric patients hospitalized in an Infectious Diseases Department appeared to be colonized in the upper respiratory tract, whereas in about 10% of them a marked bacteriuria was clearly evident, often in the absence of specific symptoms. A few isolates either from the throat or from urines, showed resistance to the common antibacterial agents.