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Clinical superinfection and its attendant symptomatic changes in pediatrics

Klinische Superinfektionen bei pädiatrischen Patienten und assoziierte Befunde

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Summary

Studies were conducted on the effects of antibiotics on intestinal bacterial flora and symptomatic changes associated with possible superinfection following antibiotic treatment. Following the administration of oral antibiotics, there were no marked changes in the intestinal flora. After second and third-generation cephems were injected, most bacteria, excludingStreptococcus faecalis which is resistant to them, decreased and fungi increased. The incidences of diarrhea after administering oral antibiotics were high for amoxicillin and amoxicillin + clavulanic acid. In some patients with depressed immunity, such as leukemic patients and neonates, decreases in intestinal bacteria after doses of antibiotics led to increases in pathogenic bacteria. They invaded the circulating blood, leading to septicemia. Septicemia originating in the intestinal tract was frequently associated with the development of vitamin K deficiency. Besides changes in the intestinal flora, a decrease in oral food intake and the presence of a methylthiotetrazole group in the structure of the administered antibiotics were also found to play a crucial role in causing vitamin K deficiency

Zusammenfassung

Der Einfluß von Antibiotika auf die Bakterienflora des Darmes und die mit möglichen Superinfektionen nach Antibiotikatherapie assoziierten Befund-Änderungen wurden untersucht. Nach oraler Antibiotikatherapie fanden sich in der Darmflora keine wesentlichen Änderungen. Nach der Injektion von Cephemen der zweiten und dritten Generation verminderten sich jedoch die meisten Bakterien mit Ausnahme vonStreptococcus faecalis, der gegen dieses Medikament resistent ist, und Pilze vermehrten sich. Mit oraler Therapie mit Amoxicillin und Amoxicillin plus Clavulansäure war eine hohe Inzidenz von Diarrhöe assoziiert. Bei manchen Patienten mit geschwächter Abwehr, wie Leukämiepatienten und Neugeborenen, führte die Abnahme der Darmbakterien zu einer Zunahme pathogener Bakterien; sie drangen in den Blutkreislauf ein und verursachten Septikämien. Septikämien, die vom Darmtrakt ausgingen, waren häufig mit der Entwicklung von Vitamin K-Mangel assoziiert. Neben Veränderungen der Darmflora sind Verminderung der oralen Nahrungsaufnahme und die Gabe von Antibiotika mit einer Methylthiotetrazol-Gruppe wichtige Determinanten für den Vitamin K-Mangel.

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Sunakawa, K., Akita, H., Iwata, S. et al. Clinical superinfection and its attendant symptomatic changes in pediatrics. Infection 13 (Suppl 1), S103–S111 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01644229

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