Ampicillin-resistant Hemophilus influenzae type B infections in hospitalized pediatric patients.

Thirty-two pediatric patients with invasive Hemophilus influenzae type B (HITB) infections were evaluated according to the frequency of resistant strains and the clinical profile. The incidence of resistant strains was 28% (9/32), all of them due to beta-lactamase-producing bacteria. The rate of ampicillin resistance was significantly higher among patients who had received beta-lactam antibiotics. The initial treatment of HITB infections in our region should therefore include chloramphenicol; the indiscriminate day-to-day use of beta-lactam antibiotics should be reconsidered.