Australian Group on Antimicrobial Research surveillance outcome programs – bloodstream infections and antimicrobial resistance patterns from patients less than 18 years of age, January 2020 – December 2021

From 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2021, thirty-eight institutions across Australia submitted data to the Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR) from patients aged < 18 years (AGAR-Kids). Over the two years, 1,679 isolates were reported from 1,611 patients. This AGAR-Kids report aims to describe the population of children and adolescents with bacteraemia reported to AGAR and the proportion of resistant isolates. Overall, there were 902 gram-negative isolates reported: 800 <i>Enterobacterales</i>, 61 <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> and 41 <i>Acinetobacter</i> spp. Among the <i>Enterobacterales</i>, 12.9% were resistant to third generation cephalosporins; 11.6% to gentamicin/tobramycin; and 11.2% to piperacillin-tazobactam. In total, 14.5% of <i>Enterobacterales</i> were multi-drug resistant (MDR). Only 3.3% of <i>P. aeruginosa</i> were resistant to carbapenems and 4.9% were MDR. Resistance in <i>Acinetobacter</i> spp was uncommon. Of 607 <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> isolates, 12.9% were methicillin-resistant (MRSA). Almost half of <i>S. aureus</i> isolates from the Northern Territory were MRSA. In <i>S. aureus</i>, resistance to erythromycin was 13.2%; 12.4% to clindamycin; and 5.3% to ciprofloxacin. Resistance to all antibiotics tested was higher in MRSA. Overall, 6.5% of <i>S. aureus</i> were MDR, of which 65% were MRSA. Almost three-quarters of the 170 <i>Enterococcus</i> spp. reported were <i>E. faecalis</i>, and half were from patients < 1 year old. Ampicillin resistance in enterococci was 19.6%. Eight isolates were vancomycin resistant and three isolates were teicoplanin resistant. Five <i>E. faecium</i> isolates were classified as MDR. This AGAR-Kids report highlights clear differences in the geographic distribution of pathogens and resistance profiles across Australia.