For children with respiratory infections, antibiotics with narrower targets are better

When doctors prescribe antibiotics for children with common respiratory infections, a more selective approach is better. A study of 30,000 children with earaches, strep throat and other common infections found that narrow-spectrum antibiotics, which act against a smaller range of bacteria, had fewer adverse effects than broad-spectrum antibiotics, which target a broader variety of bacteria. For both practical and clinical outcomes, narrow-spectrum antibiotics performed equally well or better than broad-spectrum ones, with fewer disruptions to family routines.

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