title: [Role of teicoplanin in the ambulatory treatment of infections in children due to gram-positive microorganisms].
abstract: Infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria remain a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Teicoplanin is a glycopeptide antibiotic with similar spectrum to vancomycin. Easy administration and dosage encourage its use in children, particularly due to its long half-life which allows single daily dose regimens. We evaluated the efficacy of teicoplanin in severe infections in children due to Gram-positive organisms. We retrospectively analyzed 171 children with proven or suspected Gram-positive infection treated with teicoplanin between January 1996 and December 2000. Of them, 166 cases were valuable for clinical assessment. Staphylococcus aureus (72) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (38) were the most frequent pathogens isolated. Osteoarthritis (35) and catheter-related infections (31) were the predominant clinical foci. The cure and improvement rates were 88% (150 patients) and 5% (9 patients) respectively. There were 7 (4%) cases of therapeutic failure. Mean treatment duration was 10 +/- 34.3 days (range: 1-205). Adverse events were registered in 11 patients (6%, 15 adverse events). In this study population, teicoplanin was safe and effective in the ambulatory treatment of severe Gram-positive infections in children.
authors.affiliation: Servicios de Control Epidemiológico e Infectología y Microbiología, Hospital de Pediatria Profesor Dr. Juan P. Garrahan, Fundación del Centro de Estudios Infectológicos (FUNCEI), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Debbag
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Paganini
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.forename: Lidia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Casimir
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stamboulian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy; D017334:Teicoplanin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D017334:Teicoplanin