Alternative antibiotics for the treatment of bacterial meningitis in children: a systematic review of efficacy and safety.

Objective: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of alternative antibiotics and different standard treatment regimens for bacterial meningitis in children, considering the increasing antimicrobial resistance and the need for adapted therapeutic options. To justify the use of alternative antibiotics, the authors analyzed the specific efficacy of ampicillin, chloramphenicol, cefuroxime and meropenem, which showed potential to overcome cases of antimicrobial resistance.

Data Sources: A search was performed in databases such as PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science and Cochrane Library, without data restrictions, including planned clinical trials that compared alternative antibiotics and different standard treatment regimens, such as ceftriaxone, in children with bacterial meningitis.