ANTIBIOTHERAPY IN PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGICAL PATIENTS WITH POSITIVE BACTERIAL INFECTION POST-TREATMENT
FLORIN-MIHAI RĂDULESCU 1,2, MARINA-IONELA NEDEA 3*, ANA-MARIA DASCĂLU 3, EUGEN TARȚA 3, TUDOR ION NĂSTĂSESCU 3, DAN VĂLEAN 4, IRINA-MAGDALENA DUMITRU 1,5,6
1 Doctoral School of Medicine, Ovidius University of Constanta, Constanta, Romania
2 ”Marie Sklodowska Curie” Emergency Clinical Hospital for Children, Bucharest, Romania
3 ”Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest, Romania
4 ”Iuliu Hațieganu” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Cluj-Napoca, Romania
5 Clinical Infectious Diseases Hospital, Constanța, Romania
6 Academy of Romanian Scientists, Romania
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Paediatric oncology patients are particularly vulnerable to severe infections due to immunosuppression induced by chemotherapy and hematologic malignancies. This retrospective study analysed 150 infectious episodes in 94 patients admitted to a tertiary paediatric oncology centre in Bucharest between 2018 and 2022. Fifty episodes with microbiologically confirmed sepsis were included for detailed evaluation. The majority of infections were caused by Gram-positive cocci, predominantly Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, although Gram-negative organisms such as Acinetobacter baumannii and Escherichia coli were also detected. Antibiotic susceptibility profiling revealed complete sensitivity to linezolid, vancomycin, and meropenem, while high resistance was observed against ampicillin, oxacillin, and amoxicillin-clavulanate. Approximately 60% of patients responded to monotherapy, while combination therapy was employed in 40% of cases. Tazobactam, ceftazidime, and meropenem were the most frequently used first-line antibiotics, whereas amikacin and vancomycin were favoured in second-line regimens. These findings underscore the necessity of ongoing antimicrobial surveillance and tailored empirical therapy in paediatric oncology patients. The study supports the role of cumulative antibiograms and local resistance data in informing antimicrobial stewardship strategies and improving infection-related outcomes in immunocompromised children.
