Current needs for new beta-lactam antibiotics in pediatrics.

Six common clinical situations in infants and children are discussed from the point of view of standard therapeutic regimens: neonatal sepsis and meningitis; febrile episodes in neutropenia; bacterial meningitis; acute pulmonary exacerbations of cystic fibrosis; pneumonia, bone and joint infections, and cellulitis in patients less than four years of age; and intra-abdominal sepsis. Potential or actual problems with these therapeutic regimens and newer therapeutic options are outlined.