Infectious Diseases

IOM advises sustained federal commitment to research on schedule safety

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) appears to show a preference for summer months, putting children at greater risk for soft-tissue infection especially during July and August.

A study in 123 children aged from 6 to 48 months with atraumatic osteoarticular symptoms confirmed investigators’ hypothesis that oropharyngeal carriage of Kingella kingae in children aged younger than 48 months with acute osteoarticular infection (AOI) is strong evidence that this microorganism is responsible.

Bathing children who are hospitalized in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) with chlorhexidine solution once daily can reduce their risk of bloodstream infections, according to a study from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

Twenty-nine children have died in the influenza outbreak that now is widespread in 48 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pediatric deaths so far compare with 122 that occurred during last year’s flu season.

The 2012-2013 influenza season has not yet reached its halfway point, but already 18 pediatric deaths have been reported nationwide. A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that despite expanded vaccine recommendations, many young children are not sufficiently protected against seasonal influenza.

A retrospective study in more than 1,000 well-appearing infants aged younger than 3 months with fever without a source (FWS_ found that procalcitonin (PCT) performs better than C-reactive protein (CRP) in identifying patients with invasive bacterial infections (IBIs), which are positive bacterial cultures of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) or blood, and seems to be the best marker for ruling out IBIs.

A study of 17 adult patients with culture-confirmed episode of erythema migrans-whose first bout with Lyme disease was treated appropriately with standard courses of antibiotics-found that additional consecutive episodes of erythema migrans were due to reinfection, not relapse.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has endorsed the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization to retain the use of thimerosal as a preservative in vaccines.

Evaluation of neonates for CNS HSV infection using CSF HSV PCR testing is common, but HSV infection is not, a retrospective study showed.

At the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases annual flu press conference, the CDC stresses the importance of children, child caregivers, and pregnant women receiving flu vaccinations.

The AAP has issued new guidelines for the prevention and control of influenza in children.

Greek researchers conducted a study in 69 children with febrile illness who were admitted to a hospital with a diagnosis of a bacterial or viral infection to assess established iron indices in acute febrile infections and to explore whether serum iron distribution differs depending on whether the infection is bacterial or viral.

A study in Finland found that infants who had contact with dogs in their first year showed fewer respiratory tract symptoms or infections.

Functional foods for post-partum mothers include galactagogues to enhance breast feeding and teas to soothe colic.

The ophthalmologist was not able to rule abuse in or out based on his examination because of the number of retinal hemorrhages seen.

Acute hemorrhagic edema of infancy is a relatively uncommon form of leukocytoclastic vasculitis. Henoch-Schönlein purpura is the primary differential diagnosis.

Even in the pre-Prevnar, pre-conjugated Hib vaccine era, urinary tract infection was the most common bacterial infection found in infants who presented with fever without localizing clinical findings.

AAP recommendations for diagnosing and managing a first urinary tract infection in children aged 2 to 24 months were updated in 2011.

If you think that West Nile virus is the most common cause of neuroinvasive arboviral disease in juveniles, think again. Another arthropod-borne virus has its sights set on children. More >>

Household contacts of children infected with Staphylococcus aureus skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) are not routinely sampled for S aureus colonization. Failure to do so may facilitate persistent colonization or recurrent infections, according to a new report. More >>

The US FDA has approved a combination vaccine for preventing invasive diseases caused by Hib and Neisseria meningitis serogroups C and Y in children aged 6 weeks to 18 months.

A new study looks at using text messages to remind families to have their children vaccinated for seasonal influenza. Could text messaging make a difference in a vaccination rate that is barely more than half overall and considerably lower in low-income populations?

Although some older children and adults have been found to have cross-reactive antibodies to influenza A (H3N2) variant viruses, which were reported with increased frequency in 2011 compared with previous years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning that children aged 10 years and younger have few or no cross-reactive antibodies. What does this mean for your younger patients in the event of a sustained outbreak?

A study finding that tweens start out ambivalent toward cigarette and alcohol use also suggests that their negative associations with the substances are more easily weakened than their positive associations can be strengthened.

The first influenza vaccine to contain 2 strains of influenza A virus and 2 strains of influenza B has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for use in healthy children aged 2 years and older and adults to age 49 years.

The first meeting of the Committee on Assessment of Studies of Health Outcomes Related to the Recommended Childhood Immunization Schedule was held in February in Washington, DC, at the Pew Charitable Trust.

Assessing underlying risk factors for childhood stroke is important to survival and quality of life. New findings suggest that recent minor acute infections of the ear, upper respiratory tract, and urinary tract can pose a high risk of ischemic stroke in children. These are common pediatric occurrences, so how can you identify patients at risk?

The American Academy of Pediatrics has updated its recommended immunization schedules for children and adolescents.

The mother of a 4-year old girl complained that the child had been "pulling at her bottom" for several weeks, presumably imitating her younger brother. Visual inspection of the area revealed the real problem.