50% of children resistant to common antibiotics

Antibiotic resistance in children has reached high levels with warnings that some commonly used antibiotics could soon be rendered ineffective, according to research by Imperial College London

Up to 50% of children are resistant to some of the most common antibiotics used to treat urinary tract infections that stem from the E.coli bacteria.

The research, which was carried out in conjunction with the University of Bristol, also suggests children can harbour antibiotic resistant bacteria for up to six months after treatment. This means an antibiotic may not work for a second time if prescribed twice within a six month window.

Colin Garner, the chief executive of Antibiotic Research UK (ANTRUK), said: "This latest research showing that up to 50% of children may be resistant to antibiotics is extremely worrying.

“E. coli, the cause of many urinary tract infections in children and in adults is one of the most common bacteria in our bodies.

“It has the ability to transfer antibiotic resistance genes easily to other bacteria and not just the E.coli species.

“I believe there may be considerable under-reporting of antibiotic resistant infections so that we don’t know the true level of these both in the community and in hospitals."

In the study, the university teams pooled the findings of 58 studies which looked at antibiotic resistance in urinary tract infections caused by E coli. These studies were from 26 countries, and involved over 77,000 E coli samples.

The highest amount of resistance was seen to ampicillin, the most commonly prescribed antibiotic for urinary tract infections caused by E coli.

David Brown, chair ANTRUK’s scientific and technical advisory committee, said: "It is becoming increasingly clear that bacterial resistance to our best antibiotics is more widespread than we thought. It is a problem not only in poorer countries, but also in the wealthy West.

“The young and elderly are particularly at risk. We need a concerted effort on several fronts to understand the scale of the problem and find solutions.

“Our team of national experts at Antibiotic Research UK is dedicated to doing this through research to find 'resistance breakers' to add to antibiotics to salvage them."