Pediatric wound infections following 2023 Kahramanmaras earthquakes: case series.

BACKGROUND: The Kahramanmaras earthquakes in Turkey on February 6, 2023, resulted in more than 100 000 injuries and 50 500 deaths. The main causes of morbidity and mortality in earthquake-affected patients include crush syndrome, trauma-related extremity injuries, and wound infections. OBJECTIVE: To investigate infective complications, causative microorganisms, treatments, and treatment responses in pediatric patients. METHODS: The case series involved 12 earthquake victims admitted to a tertiary treatment center between February 9 and 24, 2023. Wound sample cultures were obtained from patients with infected wounds via wound secretions and tissue samples collected during surgery. RESULTS: Nine patients were male (75%), and the mean age of patients was 12.6 ± 3.7 years. Seven patients (58.3%) experienced crush syndrome. Seven patients (58.3%) underwent fasciotomy operations. The main infectious complications were wound infections (58.3%) and urinary tract infections (25%). Nine different organisms were found to cause wound infection, with Enterococcus faecium (41.6%), Acinetobacter baumanii (33.3%), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (16.6%) being the major bacterial isolates. All Acinetobacter strains were multidrug-resistant (MDR). CONCLUSION: Major disasters such as earthquakes are rare, and infections are the major complications that increase morbidity and mortality. Initial appropriate treatment contributes to improved outcomes, as MDR strains are common pathogens in these patients.

Corrigendum: Actions speak louder than words; pediatricians, gynecologists, nurses, and other mothers' perspectives on the human papillomavirus vaccine: an Istanbul multicenter study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1361509.].

Case Report: Brucellosis Mimicking Tuberculous Meningitis in a Child.

Neurobrucellosis is rare in children, presenting with a variety of clinical manifestations, including meningitis, meningoencephalitis, cranial neuropathies, and intracranial mass-like lesions. We present a case of a 17-year-old girl admitted to the hospital in Istanbul for headache. Lumbar puncture showed elevated intracranial pressure, monocytic pleocytosis, elevated total protein, and hypoglycorrhachia. Brucella melitensis grew from the cerebrospinal fluid. The patient was treated with doxycycline, rifampin, amikacin, and ceftriaxone and showed persistent sensorineural hearing loss. It is essential to consider brucellosis in the differential diagnosis of infectious neurological disease in areas where the disease is endemic. Serologic tests and cultures are needed for diagnosis, and efforts need to be made to identify the infecting organism to the species level to guide zoonotic source control efforts.

Purpura fulminans secondary to varicella-zoster virus infection.

BACKGROUND: Purpura fulminans (PF) is a rare, life-threatening condition involving consumptive coagulopathy and intravascular thrombosis, causing purpura and necrosis in the skin and soft tissue. CASE REPORT: A 4-year-old Tajik girl with PF secondary to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection presented with purplish red, diffuse, painful lesions localized to the entire right leg. Her vaccination status was unknown, and she did not have concurrent chronic illness. Ten days before admission, the girl was admitted to another hospital in Tajikistan with a diagnosis of chickenpox and PF. She was then transferred to the hospital of the authors of the current report due to the enlargement of lesions to the gluteal region, a change in the color of lesions from red to black, and the detection of arterial thrombosis via Doppler ultrasonography. Multiple surgical debridements were performed to manage tissue necrosis, and the patient's right leg was amputated at the 18th week of admission. The patient was discharged after 26 weeks of hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Although VZV infections mostly cause mild and self-limiting eruptive disease, they can progress, with life-threatening complications, including PF. To prevent VZV infection and resulting complications, immunization with live attenuated vaccines and maintaining population immunity above a certain threshold are the most important strategies to prevent the circulation of the virus.

The use of fosfomycin in infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens, especially pneumonia in children: a five-year retrospective single-centre experience.

BACKGROUND: Fosfomycin is gaining increasing attention for its activity against MDR or XDR pathogens. Currently, IV fosfomycin is a potential option for treating various infections, including urinary tract infections, pneumonia and skin infections when first-line treatments fail. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the demographic, clinical, microbiological and treatment modality of children received IV fosfomycin to treat infections caused by MDR pathogens since there are few data on the use of fosfomycin in children. METHODS: This study was conducted retrospectively with patients under 18 years of age who were treated with IV fosfomycin for at least 72 h due to infections caused by MDR pathogens between January 2019 and October 2023 at Marmara University Pendik Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye. Data on demographic and clinical features, microbiological findings, treatment modalities and side effects were evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty-five children, for a total of 32 cases of infection episodes, with a mean age of 11.4 ±â€Š3.92 years who received IV fosfomycin were included. The most frequent comorbidity was chronic pulmonary diseases, and the most common infection needed for IV fosfomycin was MDR Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia. In all cases, fosfomycin was administered in combination with other antibiotics, mainly meropenem-colistin (68.7%) or meropenem (15.6%). Twenty-two (71.9%) cases had favourable clinical responses at the end of therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that IV fosfomycin may be an effective treatment option for MDR pathogens in the paediatric population. Nevertheless, careful stewardship is necessary to maintain efficacy and reduce antimicrobial resistance selection risk.

Unusual presentation of cat scratch disease: case report.

Cat scratch disease (CSD) is an infection caused by Bartonella henselae, presents with non-specific symptoms like lymphadenopathy, fever, and fatigue. It can progress to disseminated disease, leading to complications such as liver and splenic micro abscesses, osteomyelitis, encephalitis, and uveitis. Diagnosis is challenging due to varied presentations and limited tests. Treatment involves supportive care, with severe cases requiring antimicrobial therapy. In this report, we present a case of Cat scratch disease characterized by an atypical clinical manifestation, hepatosplenic and paravertebral involvement.

Challenging Treatment of Disseminated Aspergillosis in a Child With Nephrotic Syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Central nervous system (CNS) aspergillosis is an opportunistic infection with an increasing incidence and a high mortality rate. It is seen in immunocompromised patients as well as in immunocompetent patients. Here, we present disseminated aspergillosis in a child with nephrotic syndrome treated with long-term and aggressive systemic antifungal treatment and intraventricular (IVent) liposomal amphotericin B (L-AmB) as well as surgical excision and drainage due to difficulty in management. CASE REPORT: A 10-year-old boy with nephrotic syndrome on steroid therapy was admitted with limping and weakness. The cranial magnetic resonance imaging showed multiple intraparenchymal scattered abscesses. The largest one was excised and drained. Abscess culture revealed Aspergillus fumigatus and histopathological examination revealed septate hyphae compatible with Aspergillosis. Intravenous (IV) voriconazole was started, and IV L-AmB was added. The size of lesions and perilesional edema continued to increase, and then IVent L-AmB was added. With IVent and systemic antifungal treatment, regression of the lesions was observed. He was followed up with oral voriconazole and weekly IVent L-AmB. After 2 and a half months, he was re-operated because of increased lesion size, number and perilesional edema, and IV voriconazole and other salvage antifungal therapies were started. Since the lesions had decreased and remained stable, IV voriconazole was switched to oral therapy, and he was followed up as an outpatient. Immunodeficiency diseases were excluded by immunological and genetic tests. CONCLUSION: Management of central nervous system aspergillosis can be challenging despite long-term and aggressive systemic and IVent antifungal treatment as well as surgical excision and drainage.

Actions speak louder than words; pediatricians, gynecologists, nurses, and other mothers' perspectives on the human papillomavirus vaccine: an Istanbul multicenter study.

Introduction: Gynecologists and pediatricians have an essential duty to prevent cervical cancer. In this study, we compared the compliance of gynecologists (n = 22) and pediatricians (n = 49) with nurse/midwife (n = 66) and non-medical moms (n = 120) with regards to cervical cancer precautions. Methods: A questionnaire was used to gather data on their demographics, personal vaccination and screening practices, children's immunization status, and awareness of cervical cancer prevention. Results: The findings demonstrated that gynecologists and pediatricians were better than others at understanding the risk factors and prevention of cervical cancer. It was noted that compared to other groups, physician mothers and their offspring had higher vaccination rates (n = 13, 18.3%; n = 10, 29.4%, respectively). Medical professionals typically provided thorough and accurate answers to informational questions. More frequent Pap smear tests were performed by gynecologists. It was noted that mothers who worked as pediatricians and nurses/midwives neglected their own screening needs. Discussion: This questionnaire survey sought to ascertain Istanbul's health professionals' present opinions regarding HPV vaccination. Healthcare professionals should be the first to receive information on HPV vaccination and cervical cancer incidence reduction. The public could then readily use them as an example.

A 4-Year-Old Child with a Giant Cerebral Hydatid Cyst: A Case Report.

Echinococcosis is the most common cestode infection globally caused by the Echinococcus species. The most common organ involvement is the lungs and liver, but other organs can be rarely involved. Here, we present a case with a giant cerebral hydatid cyst. A 4-year-old boy presented with abnormal gait and walking at Marmara University School of Medicine Pendik Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Türkiye in September 2022. Cranial magnetic resonance imaging showed a cyst of 13 cm in diameter. The cyst was enucleated successfully with no rupture. Oral albendazole therapy was started. There was no eosinophilia, and the echinococcal indirect hemagglutination test was negative. Ultrasonography detected an anechoic cystic lesion in the liver. He was evaluated for deep-organ involvement; however, no cysts were detected in other organs. The histopathological examination was compatible with a hydatid cyst. Although intracranial hydatid disease in children is rare, it should be considered among the differential diagnoses in patients with neurological symptoms, especially in endemic regions.