The test Karen is mentioning is called a synergy testing to determine what antibiotics will work on the bug that's being cultured. But you mention that all she is culturing is staph currently. So this is why I assume your doctors are asking if you want to treat or not because they do not know what bug is causing the problem since the one they can see is mild. When they test for bugs (i.e. PA, S. Malt, Staph) are they doing a throat swab or a sputum culture? If they are doing anything but a sputum culture you need to make sure you get a sputum culture. This is the most accurate you will get without doing a bronchoscopy. The sputum culture can then be tested for sensitivities/synergy. If your child has trouble getting up sputum, the clinic can do a sputum induction using hypertonic saline. Your doctor may also let you do this at home (but I think that depends on the doctor).
S. Malt is naturally resistant to several combos of drugs. There is a need for more research. But I'm not sure if your daughter's is resistant to all or just some. Some resistance is not as big of a deal because there are some drugs out there that do work. Among those are aztreonam/clavulanic acid, ticarcillin/clavulanic acid, newer fluoriquinolones. S. malt. responds best to the following drugs: Ceftazidime, Gatifloxacin, Levofloxacin, ticarcillin/clavulanic acid, and Trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole. Less than 50% of all s. malt are resistant to these and in the case of Tri/Sulph and Tic/Cla 90% of s. malt is sensitive to these. Also sometimes just because a bacteria doesn't respond on a slide doesn't mean it won't respond in the body.
Are you all using pulmozyme? Using the vest? Getting the sputum from her lungs?
I'd also think about the possibility that there's an asthmatic componenent, gerd, or some allergies going on. Your child has had a huge drop and a very quick one so it needs to be handled and gotten to the bottom of or that damage can become permanent. The last bit of advice is if you are close to a major university teaching hospital is to get in contact with infection disease to see what advice they have.
S. Malt is naturally resistant to several combos of drugs. There is a need for more research. But I'm not sure if your daughter's is resistant to all or just some. Some resistance is not as big of a deal because there are some drugs out there that do work. Among those are aztreonam/clavulanic acid, ticarcillin/clavulanic acid, newer fluoriquinolones. S. malt. responds best to the following drugs: Ceftazidime, Gatifloxacin, Levofloxacin, ticarcillin/clavulanic acid, and Trimethoprim/sulphamethoxazole. Less than 50% of all s. malt are resistant to these and in the case of Tri/Sulph and Tic/Cla 90% of s. malt is sensitive to these. Also sometimes just because a bacteria doesn't respond on a slide doesn't mean it won't respond in the body.
Are you all using pulmozyme? Using the vest? Getting the sputum from her lungs?
I'd also think about the possibility that there's an asthmatic componenent, gerd, or some allergies going on. Your child has had a huge drop and a very quick one so it needs to be handled and gotten to the bottom of or that damage can become permanent. The last bit of advice is if you are close to a major university teaching hospital is to get in contact with infection disease to see what advice they have.