Drug-Resistant Infections Threaten Newborns in Southeast Asia
Alarmingly high rates of antibiotic resistance are rendering common treatments ineffective against infections in newborn babies across Southeast Asia, according to a new study published today.
Researchers analyzed nearly 15,000 blood samples from sick infants at 10 hospitals in Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Philippines collected in 2019 and 2020. The study, published in the Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, revealed that a significant proportion of infections were caused by bacteria unlikely to respond to standard antibiotic treatments recommended by the World Health Organization for neonatal sepsis. “Our study highlights the causes of serious infections in babies in countries across Southeast Asia with high rates of neonatal sepsis, and reveals an alarming burden of AMR that renders many currently available therapies ineffective for newborns,” said study co-author Phoebe Williams, a pediatrician at the University of Sydney.
The infections were predominantly caused by Gram-negative bacteria, such as E. coli, Klebsiella, and Acinetobacter, which account for nearly 80 percent of the cases studied. These bacteria possess an inherent resistance to some antibiotics and are more prone to developing further resistance. This growing resistance poses a significant threat to global health security, as infections become harder – and sometimes impossible – to treat. “These bugs have long been considered to only cause infections in older babies, but are now infecting babies in their first days of life,” Williams added.
Researchers emphasize the urgent need for updated treatment guidelines based on local bacterial profiles and increased investment in the development of new antibiotics specifically for infants, as it currently takes approximately 10 years to trial and approve a new antibiotic for use in babies. Co-author Michelle Harrison, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney School of Public Health, stated, “We need more region-specific surveillance to guide treatment decisions. Otherwise, we risk reversing decades of progress in reducing child mortality rates.”
Study authors are calling for increased regional surveillance and data collection to inform more effective treatment strategies and prevent further increases in neonatal mortality.
