| Popis: |
Background: Bacterial infections are the major cause of pediatric admissions to hospitals, and probably the major cause of morbidity in the underdeveloped communities. Objectives: To determine the main bacterial infections among children under 6 years in Diyala governorate, Iraq. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted in Al-Batool Teaching Hospital for Maternity and Children during the period from 1st of January 2019 till 31st of December 2019. Hospital admission sheets were used to collect the information of patients with positive bacterial cultural infections. Results: Gastrointestinal tract infection was the most common type with 378 cases (37.80%) followed by bacteremia with 293 (29.30%), urinary tract infections with 255 (25.50%), and finally respiratory tract infections with 74 cases (7.40%). A high percentage of infection was recorded among males than females such as gastrointestinal tract infections (55.02%), bacteremia (55.98%), respiratory tract infections (60.81%), while in urinary tract infections a higher percentage was noticed among females (59.60%). The highest percentages of bacterial infections were recorded in the age group of (1-2 years) followed by (3-4 years), especially in bacteremia (85.67%), gastrointestinal tract infections (64.81%), urinary tract infections (51.77%); while on the other hand, respiratory tract infections were more common in the age group of 5-6 years (48.95%). Gram-negative bacteria were mostly associated with infection than gram-positive bacteria. The major gram-negative bacteria isolated from pediatric bacteremia cases were Klebsiella (31.74%) and Escherichia coli (15.36%) while the main gram-positive bacteria were Staphylococcus haemolyticus (15.36%). In respiratory tract infections, the most common isolated pathogens were the gam positive Streptococcus pneumoniae (37.84%), and Staphylococcus spp (35.14%) in addition to the gram-negative Pseudomonas spp and Enterobacter spp. As for gastrointestinal tract infection, the most common pathogens were Escherichia coli 82.80%, Salmonella, and Klebsiella 5.03%. In urinary tract infection, the most common isolated bacteria was Escherichia coli 41,51%. Conclusion: Bacterial infections are highly common in our community and the mode of transmission plays a critical role. Therefore, the prevention and control of these infections require a great social effort and a better performance of the health sector. |
