Ear Infections Linked to Drug-Resistant 'Superbug'

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However, in these nine pediatric cases, no other treatments were effective, and the children were at risk of losing their hearing. Since Pichichero had been involved in previous research on levofloxacin's use in children, he knew the correct dose to administer, and it was effective.

But, he cautioned, because the drug hasn't been well studied in children, "I would not allow a child to receive levofloxacin unless I knew for sure [that it was the Legacy strain]."

Dr. Katherine Poehling, a pediatrician at Brenner Children's Hospital at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, said the new findings are worrisome, but "nine cases out of 1,800 doesn't make me panic. We've always had some ear infections that are very hard to treat, but they usually aren't serotyped to figure out what they are."

Poehling, who's been involved in research on the current pneumococcal vaccine, added that the "pneumococcal conjugate vaccine has been extraordinarily successful, and children continue to benefit from this vaccine."

Paradiso agreed, adding that the current vaccine has caused a dramatic -- 99 percent -- reduction in infections in the serotypes that are covered by the vaccine.

The CDC recommends that the current vaccine be given to all infants younger than 24 months of age at 2, 4, and 6 months of age, followed by a booster dose at 12-15 months of age.

More information

To learn more about pneumococcal disease in children and the available vaccine, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.