Fundamental and clinical evaluation of ceftriaxone in the pediatric field

Fundamental and clinical evaluation of ceftriaxone (CTRX) was performed in the pediatric field and the following results were obtained. 1. The MIC of CTRX against E. coli isolated from urinary tract infections in children ranged from ≤0.024 to 0.39 mcg/ml except for 1 strain. CTRX was superior to other 3rd generation cephalosporins such as CPZ and LMOX, showing effectiveness also against ABPC-resistant bacteria. 2. The clinical efficacy and bacteriological efficacy in 6 children consisting of 5 with respiratory tract infections and 1 with a urinary tract infection were 83% and 100%, respectively. As to the adverse reaction, diarrhea was observed in 2 cases. 3. The determination of PIVKA-II performed during the therapy with CTRX, which is observed when vitamin K is deficient, was positive in 2 out of 6 cases including 1 in which the clinical efficacy could not be evaluated. The test of platelet function in 3 cases found no inhibition of agglutination. Twice-daily administration with 20 mg/kg CTRX was considered to be a useful and safe method for treatment of bacterial infections in children, although care should be taken not to cause vitamin K deficiency as in other 2nd and 3rd generation cephalosporins.