Comparison of two non-absorbable antibiotics for treatment of bacterial enteritis in children

U. Beseghi, G.L. de’ Angelis*

Department of Paediatric Surgery, Regional Hospital – Parma (Italy)
*Service of Paediatric Gastroenterology and Digestive Endoscopy, Institute of Paediatrics, University of Parma (Italy)

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• Gastroenterology

Abstract. – Thirty-one children with bacterial diarrhoea were administered an oral suspension of rifaximin (14 children, mean age: 4.3 yrs; dosage: 5 ml, equal to 100 mg, x 4/day for 3 days on average) or of neomycin+bacitracin (17 children, mean age: 3.6 yrs; dosage: 5 ml x 4/ day for 4 days on average). Etiologic agents were: minor Salmonella spp in 9 and 7 cases respectively; enteropathogenic E. coli in 5 and 10 cases. Rifaximin yielded bacteriological cure in 12/14 children; the reference drug in 13/17. With both antibiotics, stool number/day fell, after one day, from 6 on average, to normality (2-3 stools); within two days stool consistency and characteristics shifted to normal. Symptomatology was quickly eliminated in all of the cured children. Both treatments showed excellent systemic tolerability; rifaximin was completely tolerated also locally, while two cases of stomach ache were reported with the reference drug.