A Narrative Review of Healthcare-Associated Gram-Negative Infections Among Pediatric Patients in Middle Eastern Countries

Introduction: Gram-negative bacteria (GNB) have become prominent across healthcare and community settings due to factors including lack of effective infection control and prevention (ICP) and antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs), GNB developing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), and difficulty treating infections. This review summarizes available literature on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in Middle Eastern pediatric patients. Methods: Literature searches were performed with PubMed and Embase databases. Articles not reporting data on GNB, HAIs, pediatric patients, and countries of interest were excluded. Results: The searches resulted in 220 publications, of which 49 met the inclusion criteria and 1 additional study was identified manually. Among 19 studies across Egypt reporting GNB prevalence among pediatric patients, Klebsiellaspecies/K. pneumoniaeand Escherichia coliwere typically the most common GNB infections; among studies reporting carbapenem resistance and multidrug resistance (MDR), rates reached 86% and 100%, respectively. Similarly, in Saudi Arabia, Klebsiellaspp./K. pneumoniaeand E. coliwere the GNB most consistently associated with infections, and carbapenem resistance (up to 100%) and MDR (up to 75%) were frequently observed. In other Gulf Cooperation Council countries, including Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar, carbapenem resistance and MDR were also commonly reported. In Jordan and Lebanon, E. coliand Klebsiellaspp./K. pneumoniaewere the most common GNB isolates, and AMR rates reached 100%. Discussion: This review indicated the prevalence of GNB-causing HAIs among pediatric patients in Middle Eastern countries, with studies varying in reporting GNB and AMR. Most publications reported antimicrobial susceptibility of isolated GNB strains, with high prevalence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing K. pneumoniaeand E. coliisolates. A review of ASPs highlighted the lack of data available in the region. Conclusions: Enhanced implementation of ICP, ASPs, and AMR surveillance is necessary to better understand the widespread burden of antimicrobial-resistant GNB and to better manage GNB-associated HAIs across Middle Eastern countries.