Analysis of bacteremia at first-line antibiotic treatment for febrile neutropenia in children and adolescents: A retrospective, single-center analysis

Background Control of bacterial and fungal infections is critical to improving outcomes in hematological neoplastic diseases of children and adolescents. In this study, a retrospective analysis of our previous studies on febrile neutropenia was performed to investigate bacteremia. Procedure From August 2008 to December 2023, five antibiotic studies were performed for febrile and neutropenic pediatric patients who had been treated with chemotherapy, immunosuppressive therapy, or had received stem cell transplantation in the pediatric unit at Sapporo Hokuyu Hospital. The rate of positive blood culture, detected bacteria, and susceptibility of several types of antibiotics in febrile episodes were investigated. Results Blood culture was positive in 133 of 1604 febrile episodes of 329 patients. Detected bacteria were Gram-positive cocci (61.2 %), Gram-negative bacilli (27.6 %), Gram-negative cocci (0.7 %), and Gram-positive bacilli (10.4 %). The incidence of bacteremia over time showed a decreasing trend with each passing year. In particular, the incidence of bacteremia was around 10 % in 2008–2013, whereas it was often below 5 % after 2020; this decrease was statistically significant. Although almost all detected bacteria and their susceptibilities to antibiotics (piperacillin/tazobactam, meropenem, ceftazidime, and cefozopran) did not change over time, all Escherichia coli detected after 2014 were extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing bacteria.