Questions

  1. During a routine blood test for a high fever, at what level do white blood cells and neutrophils need to be elevated to warrant the use of antibiotics? Please provide reference values.
  2. My baby has already used several ceftriaxone antibiotics, both intravenous and oral medications. Do we need to use ceftriaxone antibiotics every time in the future?
  3. Why does the hospital always prescribe cefaclor for my baby, who is only 11 months old? Will we still need to use cefaclor when the baby has a high fever and an increased white blood cell count?

Answers

  1. There is no specific rule regarding the white blood cell count at which antibiotics should be used. White blood cells are responsible for absorbing foreign bodies and producing antibodies, playing a crucial role in wound healing, resisting pathogen invasion, and immune response. Therefore, during inflammation, white blood cell levels may decrease. However, when the body’s immunity is extremely poor, it may not respond to pathogen invasion, even with severe inflammation, and white blood cell levels may remain low.
  2. Ceftriaxone is a major antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections, with ceftriaxone and cefaclor being the most commonly used. Whether or not ceftriaxone should be used every time the baby has a high fever and an increased white blood cell count is not necessarily the case; other antibiotics can also be used.