Viral respiratory tract infections cause significant morbidity in bone marrow transplant (BMT) patients. Speed and sensitivity of the FilmArray™ Respiratory Panel (FA-RP) can improve care but may ...prompt inappropriate testing. Studies describing FA-RP use in pediatric BMT patients are limited; we investigated FA-RP use, results, and clinical management to evaluate clinical significance of testing in pediatric BMT patients. Retrospective analysis of 671 respiratory specimens from 204 unique BMT patients between 01/01/2016 and 01/01/2019 was performed. Age, underlying diagnoses, FA-RP result, reason for FA-RP, and symptoms were abstracted. FA-RP impact on antimicrobial management, scheduled procedures, infection control measures, and hospital admission/discharge were investigated. Impacts of repeat testing were evaluated. Two hundred sixty-nine out of 671 specimens (40%) tested positive; human rhinovirus/enterovirus (hRV/hEV) was the most common (161/269, 60%). The primary reason for FA-RP was URI symptoms (402/671, 60%) with 54% testing positive. One hundred twenty-two out of 671 (18.2%) specimens were from asymptomatic patients; 14 (11.4%) tested positive. FA-RP informed antiviral initiation in 7/19 (36.8%), 7/8 (87.5%), and 5/30 (16.7%) of RSV, influenza, and human parainfluenza cases, respectively. In 11 cases, FA-RP informed azithromycin and ceftriaxone initiation, continuation, or discontinuation. BMT was delayed for three positives (two RSV, one hRV/hEV). In 22 instances, negative FA-RP cleared patients for BMT. In 70% of cases, repeats offered no new clinical information; all negative-to-positive cases had new or worsening respiratory symptoms. FA-RP was ordered on symptomatic and asymptomatic patients, provided rapid diagnosis in > 50% of symptomatic patients, and informed infection control measures for all inpatients and antiviral initiation in > 80% of influenza cases.
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EMUNI, FIS, FZAB, GEOZS, GIS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, MFDPS, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, SBMB, SBNM, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK, VKSCE, ZAGLJ
Isavuconazole is a broad-spectrum azole anti-fungal not yet approved in children. We conducted a retrospective, single-center review of isavuconazole use and routine therapeutic drug monitoring in ...pediatric patients, extracting demographic, dosing, concentration, mortality and hepatoxicity data. We constructed a nonparametric population model using Pmetrics. Of 26 patients, 19 (73%) were male. The mean (SD) age and weight were 12.7 (5.5) years and 50.9 (26.8) kg. Eighty percent received between 9.7 and 10.6 mg/kg per dose. Ten (38%) subjects had proven fungal disease and eight (31%) had probable disease, mostly with Candida and Aspergillus spp. The predicted steady-state isavuconazole concentrations in our patients were similar to previous reports in children and adults, and simulations with the proposed dosing of 10 mg/kg/dose every 8 h for 2 days followed by once daily maintenance matched effective adult exposures. Attributable mortality (5 of 11 deaths) was associated with steady-state daily AUC < 60 mg∗h/L and higher AST/ALT with trough concentrations > 5 mg/L. Neither dose nor trough alone correlated well with AUC, but AUC can be estimated with one sample 10 h after the first maintenance dose or a trough concentration, if combined with a Bayesian approach or a peak and trough without a Bayesian approach.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
We investigated the genetic relatedness of 5 community-acquired (CA) Staphylococcus aureus isolates obtained from 4 consecutive pediatric patients presenting with sepsis syndrome and severe pneumonia ...during a 3-week period in 2000. Two patients were infected with methicillin-susceptible S. aureus (MSSA), and 2 were infected with methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). The pulsed-field gel electrophoresis patterns for the 2 CA-MRSA isolates were identical to each other, as were the patterns for the 3 CA-MSSA isolates. A 2-band difference reflecting the presence of a staphylococcal cassette chromosome mec (SCCmec) element distinguished the CA-MRSA isolates from the CA-MSSA isolates. The small, mobile type IV SCCmec element was present in the CA-MRSA isolates. These data suggest that an insertion or, less likely, a deletion of the SCCmec type IV element occurred in a highly virulent S. aureus background. Staphylococcal toxin genes sea, seh, lukS-PV, and lukF-PV were detected in all isolates. Also, in all isolates, was a partial homolog of seo (seo′). The relationship among these patient isolates strengthens the assumption that CA-MRSA infections may be caused by isolates closely related to MSSA isolates.
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BFBNIB, NUK, PNG, UL, UM, UPUK
We describe a case of ventriculitis and choroid plexitis caused by a multidrug-resistant Nocardia pseudobrasiliensis in an immunocompetent child. Difficulties establishing an etiologic diagnosis, ...inconsistencies of antibiotic susceptibility testing, and the side effects of various antimicrobials presented challenges to her treatment and eventual favorable outcome.
The co-existence of multiple genotypes in colonization by Staphylococcus aureus has not been fully investigated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the heterogeneity of S. aureus carriage in ...children. We evaluated 125 nasal and perianal swab samples that were positive for S. aureus from 76 children scheduled for elective surgery. For each sample, at least four colonies with the same or different morphotypes were selected for analysis. Multiple-locus variable-number tandem-repeat fingerprinting was used to determine the genetic relatedness and to characterize the clonality of the S. aureus strains. Of the 125 swabs, 91 (73 %) contained meticillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA), 8 (6 %) contained meticillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA), and 26 (21 %) contained MSSA and MRSA simultaneously. A total of 738 S. aureus strains were evaluated with a mean of 6 colonies (range 4-15) picked from each culture. Of the 125 swabs, 32 (26 %) samples contained two genetically distinct S. aureus strains and 6 (5 %) contained three different genotypes. Multiple S. aureus strains simultaneously carried by individual children were genetically unrelated to each other. We concluded that the co-existence of multiple genotypes of S. aureus was common. The significance of multiple carriage is yet to be determined, but this intraspecies interplay could be important to pathogenicity and virulence in S. aureus.
We investigated whether methicillin (meticillin)-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolates with low-level mupirocin resistance can serve as recipients of a pSK41-like plasmid conferring ...high-level mupirocin resistance without substantial fitness cost. Our results suggest that acquisition of the plasmid conferring high-level mupirocin resistance was not necessarily associated with fitness cost in some MRSA recipients with low-level mupirocin resistance.
The nation-wide concern over methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has prompted many clinicians to use vancomycin when approaching patients with suspected staphylococcal infections. We ...sought to characterize the epidemiology of community-onset S. aureus infections in hospitalized children to assist local clinicians in providing appropriate empiric antimicrobial therapy.
From January 2005-June 2008, children (0-18 years old) admitted to the Children's Hospital of Illinois with community-onset S. aureus infections were identified by a computer-assisted laboratory-based surveillance and medical record review.
Of 199 patients, 67 (34%) had invasive infections, and 132 (66%) had skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs). Among patients with invasive infections, S. aureus isolates were more likely to be susceptible to methicillin (MSSA 63% vs. MRSA 37%), whereas patients with SSTIs, S. aureus isolates were more likely to be resistant to methicillin (MRSA 64% vs. MSSA 36%). Bacteremia and musculoskeletal infections were the most common invasive infections in both groups of S. aureus. Pneumonia with empyema was more likely to be caused by MRSA (P = 0.02). The majority (approximately 90%) of MRSA isolates were non-multidrug resistant, even in the presence of healthcare-associated risk factors.
Epidemiological data at the local level is important for antimicrobial decision-making. MSSA remains an important pathogen causing invasive community-onset S. aureus infections among hospitalized children. In our hospital, nafcillin in combination with vancomycin is recommended empiric therapy in critically ill patients with suspected invasive staphylococcal infections. Because up to 25% of MSSA circulating in our area are clindamycin-resistant, clindamycin should be used cautiously as empiric monotherapy in patients with suspected invasive staphylococcal infections.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK