Doctors in Ontario have identified a new antibiotic-resistant strain of bacteria that's led to a case of meningitis in a child.


The bacteria, a new substrain of Streptococcus pneumoniae 19A, has caused dozens of ear infections in Massachusetts and New York State.

Now, CTV News has learned that this new strain 19A has caused a serious infection in a child at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto.

The child's illness developed into bacterial meningitis, a potentially fatal infection of the fluid around the spinal cord and brain. The child had been otherwise healthy and had received all the vaccinations recommended for children.


Doctors may soon be asked by the Ministry of Health to watch for recurrent ear infections that don't respond to treatment with antibiotics, because they could be the result of this new strain.


Streptococcus pneumonia is not new in Canada. It causes hundreds of chest and throat infections, ear infections. In rare cases, it triggers pneumonia and meningitis, the illnesses that are usually easily treated with antibiotics.


But doctors have identified the growth of a subtype of 19A that can't be killed off with any of the antibiotics approved for use in children.


The patient at SickKids Hospital was treated with one antibiotic after another without success. The infection only responded to powerful antibiotics usually reserved for adults.


A team led by Dr. Michael Pichichero, a professor of microbiology, immunology and pediatrics at the University of Rochester Medical Center was the first to identify the new 19A super-strain while he was treating children whose ear infections wouldn't clear up.


In October, he published a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, describing his experience with the 19A superbug. The highlights of that report:

He tried 18 antibiotics approved in the U.S. for children.
In the end, the only drug that worked was levofloxacin, (also called Levaquin), which is approved for adults and is not recommended for children.
For one child, the cure came too late, because the infection led to permanent hearing loss.

Pichichero's team believes the new substrain was most likely created by a combination by the superbug's ability to evolve quickly and the over-prescribing of antibiotics which has led to antibiotic resistance.

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This is so scary! What did we creat because of taking antibiodics for every little thing?

This is very scary for any parent. I'm glad that I don't take my kids to the doctor for antibiotics when they have a cold. I have given them night time cough medicine when they were so sick with the cold and couldn't breath out their noses and kept coughing. Other than that I give them lots of fruit, liquids, chicken soup and keep them in bed or on the couch. I do the same for myself when I'm sick.

I give my daughter the Ukranian remedy for bad cold-garlic soup! Just garlic, crackers, a bit of salt & pepper, a touch of butter and hot water. Garlic is a natural antibiodic. This really works....keeps people away for a while, but oh, well! Maybe if people were into more natural remedies, we wouldn't be having this sort of problem now. And with the amount of kids who are showing signs of autism after having their shots, it is really scary.

a friend of mine takes her daughter whos 2 to the doc as soon as she gets a fever of 101. and they give her antibiotics... she is one of the sickest kids ive ever seen.. she just got over the staph infection thats going aroun in Ohio and they dont know if it will go away. My kids tough it up and take basic cough medicine and my kids are never sick proper hand washing will take care of it.

I agree that this is scary. Neither of my kids have ever been on antibiotics. Vitamin C, garlic in their scrambled eggs (that's the only way they eat it), lot of fresh juice.

People have to start believing that HEALTH is the greatest defense against illness, and not medicines, hand sanitizers etc.

My daughter has been on antibiotics once in her 8 years. Not to b**** about the ex, but, he fed her so much sugar and pop that she came home with a really bad bladder infection...we had a talk and she now gets tonnes of water and very little sugar. If a child is fed a healthy diet, they should not need to be that sick. I had mumps, scarlet fever and bronchitis all without being ran to the hospital. My grandma told my mom how to treat me, and I recovered fine. The other girl who had scarlet fever at the same time as me was put in the hospital and fed antibiotics. Guess who has a weak heart now? I am incredibly healthy while she has had to be very careful because of her heart. I can't blame the care, for all we know, she could have had a weak heart before the fever, but it seems kind of ironic to me.

I totally agree with this. I just let my kids fight themselves. I learned years ago that if the child doesn't take the entire dose it can have adverse effects so since my kids would spit it out I stopped giving it to them and just watched them closely.

Touch wood things are fine with them. Comparatively my siblings and friends who poured all this remedy down their throats have kids who are sick all the time.

And I agree with the autism issues as well. The mercury in the shots is part of why.

What's even deadlier is the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. This resistant staph bug is very dangerous.

Wash your hands carefully, and if you are on antibiotics 1) don't overuse them, and 2) complete your full regimen. Don't stop halfway through because you "feel better", because that's what causes these resistant super-bugs.

This is a scary thought and i agree to many kids are rushed into the doctors with only mild ilnesses and are goven antibitics when it could be easilly treated at home. luckily now ithe uk they are clamping down on this a little . My kids between three of them have had anti biotics once but that was for a severe infection. colds are treated with hot lemons in boiling water and honey , and coughs a good thick spread of vicks vapor rub on the soles of there feet then covered by sock overnight works wonders i have no idea why but it does

My bofriends family are all poorly types with lots of allergies asthma, multiple infections . always one has some cough or cold or virus they are literally at the doctors twice a week . They treat there grandchild the same way and demand anti biotics for everything he suffers if they are not given them they just keep going back its shocking he is only 3 and has 17 allergies . chronic asthma . has developed a intolernance to penicillin . and is allergic to more foods than any kid i know .

they even tell me that my son and daughters will all develop these allergies one day cause it runs in the famly . i just laugh i am almost starting to think they are dissapointed that they haven't with the way they go an at me too keep an eye out for it and take them for invasive tests .

sorry went on a bit of a rant there lol

blessings SS79 x x x.


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When I was born I had a reflux in the kidney that would give my kidneys allot of infections. my first year I went threw allot of antibiotics all of them that existed in 1985 in fact. Thanks to the pesky fact that humans become immune to antibiotics after a cretin amount of time.

I was lucky and the reflux just seemed to disappear I died twice before I was healed tho


Since then I was never a sick kid rarely sick inf act I ask my mom if she even remembers the last time I was sick. She never can worst I have ever had that In remembered was a small cold that I just took night quill to get over.

I totally agree about too many kids going to the doctor or hospital for things that could be easily cured at home with some common sense.

Your boyfriends' family sounds just like my husbands' family. His mother is always sick with something and constantly taking medication, she goes to the doctor 2-3 times a week It's rediculous! My neices are always sick too, we actually stopped having play groups with them because of this. They would bring over whatever sickness they had and give it to us, then my sister in law would say well my pediatrician says to do this or to take this and you should take them to the doctor. Her oldest can't take penicillin anymore because it does nothing for her, she was actually on an adult dose last winter. That's another reason I don't take my kids to a pediatrician anymore either. I did for the first year I had my oldest and for a couple months after the next one was born. They had colds and the pediatrician sat there saying I should rush them to the hospital and he wrote out a perscription, the whole bit. I thought to myself, it's just a cold. Anyhow I took them to my doctor for a second opinion, and my doctor could not believe what the pediatrician said and what he perscibed. So I immediately switched doctors and they now go to my doctor.

Thanks Glorybebe I will try that next time they have a cold.

Spiritual_soul79, I've never heard of putting the vapour rub on their soles. Do the kids have to be a certain age for that? I read that the camphor (not sure of the spelling) is not good for children under 12 years of age, it can cause autism and seisures, so I have never used it on my kids.

Well like i said i would always ask advice from someone before trying soemthing new . but it works for my children and i use vicks on them but not unless they are over three years of age . i actually buy the baby version for the youngest who is 1 . though which isnt as strong . but i have never heard of that at all camphor ?? i'll have too look it up . thanks for the heads up .

But like said it works on mine and they havent had a problem with it as yet. my doctor was the one who actually told me to try it when he ddnt want to give my little one a prescription medicine for a very nasty cough he had at that time . it brought relief so i just carried on with it . like i said im not sure how it works and cant find that much on the internet regarding it . some find it works others dont . but like i said only do what you are comfortable with .

blessings SS79 x x x

You're welcome.

I use it on myself when I have a really bad cold, and it works. I even put a teaspoon of it into a bowl of boiled water, mix it together then put my face over it with a towel draped over the back of my head. Just don't get too close cause the steam can burn you! This really helps when you have a sinus cold or sinus headache, but be prepared a lot of mucous (sounds gross) will come out. You will feel better though.

For the kids I buy a menthol eucalyptus bubble bath, and bathe them a few times through the day in it. I'm going to ask my doctor about the vicks next time we're there. I will have to check the store and see if there's a baby version here in Canada. Thanks.