Antibiotic Resistance in Pediatric Respiratory Tract Infections: A Clinical Study

Abstract

Respiratory tract infections are one of the major causes of morbidity and antibiotic consumption among children worldwide. Although many respiratory infections in children are viral in nature, antibiotics are commonly prescribed in practice, resulting in the development of antimicrobial resistance at a very rapid rate. This increasing resistance is compromising the effectiveness of standard treatments and has created great challenges for healthcare in children, especially in settings with limited diagnostic resources. This was a prospective observational study and took place at the clinic of Tashkent State Medical University between September 2023 and September 2025, with a total of 86 pediatric patients diagnosed with respiratory tract infections. Clinical characteristics and microbiological findings were analysed, and the antibiotic susceptibility testing was done using a standard laboratory method to assess the resistance pattern of the isolated bacterial pathogen. The results showed that there was a frequent isolation of the common respiratory pathogens, such as Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae. A high level of resistance was found with commonly prescribed first-line antibiotics, particularly penicillins and macrolides. Multidrug-resistant strains were found in a significant proportion of cases, being more pronounced in those children who had received antibiotics in the recent past or had had recurrent respiratory infections. These findings show that previous exposure to antibiotics is an important factor in the development of resistance. Overall, the study makes antibiotic resistance a major and growing problem for pediatric respiratory tract infections. The findings highlight the need for rational antibiotic prescribing, microbiological confirmation of diagnoses and ongoing local resistance surveillance. Strengthening antimicrobial stewardship strategies is needed to maximise treatment outcomes and continue to utilise existing antibiotics for pediatric patients.