Antibiotic Treatment of Community Acquired Pneumonia in Well-Nourished Young Nigerian Children

Abstract

Worldwide Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae are reported to be responsible for about 57 per cent of community-acquired pneumonia in children whereas Staphylococcus aureus contributes only 14 per cent. Based on this the WHO has recommended the use of crystalline penicillin and amoxycillin given sequentially for the treatment of severe community-acquired pneumonia. However this appears not to have been fully accepted in Nigeria presumably because most aetiological studies of pneumonia in the country have indicated that S. aureus and Klebsiella spp. predominate. However those in whom S. aureus and Klebsiella spp were isolated were not all cases of community-acquired pneumonia; while a substantial number were malnourished. Therefore we carried out a retrospective study of the use of the sequentially administered intravenous (i.v.) crystalline penicillin and oral amoxycillin or i.v. flucloxacillin given simultaneously with intramuscular (i.m.) gentamicin in the treatment of severe community-acquired pneumonia in well-nourished under-five-year olds in a hospital setting. (excerpt)