Objective  To examine the distribution and drug resistance of common pathogenic bacteria isolated in small children with bronchopneumonia in Mudanjiang region of Heilongjiang province and to provide a theoretical basis for the treatment and prevention of bronchopneumonia in small children.

  Methods  We randomly recruited 200 infants and small children receiving treatment for bronchopneumonia in Hongqi Hospital Affiliated to Mudanjiang Medical College from December 2015 through December 2016. Sputum specimens of the participants were collected for culture and drug susceptibility test of pathogenic bacteria. The distribution and antibiotic resistance of the isolated pathogenic bacteria were analyzed.

  Results  For all the sputum specimens, totally 84 bacterial strains were isolated and the culture-positive rate was 42.00 %. Of all the strains, 29 (34.52 %) were gram-positive and 55 (65.48 %) were gram-negative; and the detection rate of gram-negative bacteria was significantly higher than that of gram-positive bacteria. The first two identified gram-positive bacteria were Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae, accounting for 72.41 % of the gram-positive strains isolated; while the first two gram-negative bacteria were Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli, accounting for 70.91 % of the gram-negative strains. Antibiotic susceptibility tests revealed highly resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumoniae to ampicillin/sulbactam (Unasyn), tetracycline, penicillin G, oxacillin, and ampicillin (AMP); Klebsiella pneumoniae to Unasyn, AMP, aminotram (AZT), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (SMZCo), and cefuroxime (CXM); and Escherichia coli to Unasyn, AMP, AZT, SMZCo, cephalosporin, CXM, and ceftriaxone.

  Conclusion  Gram-negative bacterial are major bacteria pathogens for bronchopneumonia and the isolated pathogenic bacteria of bronchopneumonia are highly resistant to antibiotics commonly used among infants and small children in Mudanjiang region; the results need to be concerned in clinical medication for the disease.