Antimicrobial therapy for infants and children: Guidelines for the inpatient and outpatient practice of pediatric infectious diseases

In this article, we discuss antimicrobial regimens for both outpatient and inpatient use in infants and children. substantial number of pediatric pati ent visits annually result in the prescribing of antimicrobial drugs, The e mergence of bacteria resistant to commonly used antimicrobial agents is a g rowing concern. Information on newer drugs such as meropenem, which is acti ve against penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae and gram-negative bacilli, and cefepime, which has activity against gramnegative bacilli incl uding Pseudomonas aeruginosa and against gram-positive cocci is also presen ted. Management of patients with congenital or acquired immunodeficiencies continues to be challenging in regard to the use of antimicrobial drugs to treat various fungal and viral infections. New formulations of older drugs such as aerosolized tobramycin and amphotericin B lipid complex are availab le. New antiviral agents have been approved, most of which are antiretrovir al agents. Childhood tuberculosis is an ongoing concern, and regimens to tr eat Mycobacterium tuberculosis in children are discussed.