Introduction

Reading Assignment

Assignment

Introduction

Antibiotics will probably be the most common medications you write a prescription for in pediatrics. Hopefully, antibiotic use will be less common than it used to be. Most infections in children are viral in origin and do not require antibiotics for resolution. Infections that do require antibiotics are usually those involving the middle ear, pharynx and lungs. In this module we will review information about antibiotics in general then look specifically at issues concerning their use and effect on infants, children and adolescents. We will cover an approach to the use of antibiotics for the most common infections in children and a few special situations for which antibiotics are used.

In children, antibiotics are still prescribed too frequently for symptoms of ear pain or pressure or for fever, even without solid evidence that bacteria are the cause. When this happens, bacteria are exposed to the drug and start to figure ways around it. Mutations occur, and these mutations are passed on when the organism replicates and can also be passed to another similar or different organism. These antibiotic-resistant strains can then be passed to others. The bacteria that cause tuberculosis, gonorrhea, malaria and upper respiratory infections like otitis media are becoming more difficult to treat because of this phenomenon.

This module is a 2-hour credit class, so you should be expecting to put in about 6-8 hours on readings and activities related to this topic.

Objectives

1. Student will be able to describe how antibiotics work to rid the body of microorganisms
2. Student will be able to discuss the ways that microorganisms are becoming resistant to antibiotics
3. Student will be able to identify which classes of antibiotics are effective against different types of bacteria.
4. Student will be able to select an appropriate antibiotic for diagnosis.
5. Student will be able to discuss the antiviral agents to treat influenza.