Murine Typhus Mimicking Kawasaki Disease in a Preadolescent Girl.

We report the case of an 11-year-old preadolescent girl presenting with prolonged fever, lymphadenitis, nonpurulent conjunctivitis, a generalized maculopapular rash, erythematous lips and edema of hands/feet. Although major diagnostic criteria for Kawasaki disease were met, local epidemiologic data suggested a possible vector-borne etiology. Treatment with doxycycline was initiated, and defervescence occurred. Laboratory investigation confirmed the diagnosis of Rickettsia typhi infection.

Concurrent Autochthonous Malaria Caused by Plasmodium vivax in Father and Son in Greece.

We report the case of a 12-year-old child who was admitted to our Department, with 7 days' history of high fever and splenomegaly. His father had similar symptoms starting on the same day. A rapid test and microscopy for malaria yielded a positive result for Plasmodium vivax Antimalarial therapy was initiated. He developed methemoglobinemia treated with ascorbic acid and had uneventful recovery.

Salmonella Osteomyelitis in Previously Healthy Children: Report of 4 Cases and Review of the Literature.

Salmonella osteomyelitis in children is an uncommon condition, typically associated with hemoglobinopathies or other underlying disorders. Only few cases have been reported in children without predisposing factors. We describe 4 cases of Salmonella osteomyelitis in otherwise healthy children. Since treatment duration is expected to be prolonged, the practice of direct inoculation of aspirates into blood culture bottles appears to be essential for diagnosis and targeted therapy.

Oseltamivir pharmacokinetics and clinical experience in neonates and infants during an outbreak of H1N1 influenza A virus infection in a neonatal intensive care unit.

Detailed oseltamivir pharmacokinetics have yet to be reported in neonates and infants; this group is at high risk of serious influenza-associated complications. Extrapolation of doses from older patients is complicated by rapid organ and drug-metabolizing enzyme maturation. A pharmacokinetic study has been conducted during an influenza A(H1N1) outbreak in a neonatal intensive care unit. Each included patient provided 4 samples for oseltamivir and 4 samples for its active metabolite oseltamivir carboxylate. A population pharmacokinetic model was developed with NONMEM. Allometric weight scaling and maturation functions were added a priori to scale for size and age based on literature values. Nine neonates and infants were recruited. A physiologically parameterized pharmacokinetic model predicted typical day 1 area under the curve (AUC(0-12)) values of 1,966 and 2,484 µg · h/liter for neonates and infants of ≤ 37 weeks of postmenstrual age (PMA) and >37 weeks of PMA treated with 1 mg/kg of body weight and 2 mg/kg, respectively. The corresponding steady-state AUC(0-12) values were 3,670 and 4,559 µg · h/liter. Premature neonates treated with 1 mg/kg and term babies treated with 2 mg/kg should have average oseltamivir carboxylate concentrations in a range similar to that for adults treated with 75 mg, corresponding to >200-fold above the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC(50)) value for influenza A(H1N1) from the start of therapy.

Serum carnitine levels in patients with homozygous beta thalassemia: a possible new role for carnitine?

UNLABELLED: Carnitine (beta-hydroxy-gamma-trimethylaminobutyric acid) facilitates the transfer of activated long-chain fatty acids from the cytoplasm to the mitochondria, the site of their beta-oxidation. Carnitine deficiency results in a reduced usage of fatty acids in energy production and therefore the appearance of clinical symptoms such as myalgia and muscle weakness. In the present study, serum carnitine levels were measured in 45 children and 20 adults with homozygous beta thalassemia. A decrease in serum carnitine levels (total, free and acyl) was found, without any evidence of disorder in the process of mitochondrial beta-oxidation. The possible cause of this finding could be related to a reduced hepatic carnitine biosynthesis. CONCLUSION: In patients with homozygous beta thalassemia, the reduction of serum carnitine levels might play an important role in the appearance of muscular dysfunction. It is possible that L : -carnitine administration in these patients might improve or even resolve the aforementioned symptom.