Neurological involvement in hospitalized children with SARS-CoV-2 infection: a multinational study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Neurological involvement associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection is increasingly recognized. However, the specific characteristics and prevalence in pediatric patients remain unclear. The objective of this study was to describe the neurological involvement in a multinational cohort of hospitalized pediatric patients with SARS-CoV-2. METHODS: This was a multicenter observational study of children <18 years of age with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection or multisystemic inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) and laboratory evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children, admitted to 15 tertiary hospitals/healthcare centers in Canada, Costa Rica, and Iran February 2020-May 2021. Descriptive statistical analyses were performed and logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with neurological involvement. RESULTS: One-hundred forty-seven (21%) of 697 hospitalized children with SARS-CoV-2 infection had neurological signs/symptoms. Headache (n = 103), encephalopathy (n = 28), and seizures (n = 30) were the most reported. Neurological signs/symptoms were significantly associated with ICU admission (OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.15-2.55; p = 0.008), satisfaction of MIS-C criteria (OR: 3.71, 95% CI: 2.46-5.59; p < 0.001), fever during hospitalization (OR: 2.15, 95% CI: 1.46-3.15; p < 0.001), and gastrointestinal involvement (OR: 2.31, 95% CI: 1.58-3.40; p < 0.001). Non-headache neurological manifestations were significantly associated with ICU admission (OR: 1.92, 95% CI: 1.08-3.42; p = 0.026), underlying neurological disorders (OR: 2.98, 95% CI: 1.49-5.97, p = 0.002), and a history of fever prior to hospital admission (OR: 2.76, 95% CI: 1.58-4.82; p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: In this study, approximately 21% of hospitalized children with SARS-CoV-2 infection had neurological signs/symptoms. Future studies should focus on pathogenesis and long-term outcomes in these children.

Infants hospitalized for acute COVID-19: disease severity in a multicenter cohort study.

Age is the most important determinant of COVID-19 severity. Infectious disease severity by age is typically J-shaped, with infants and the elderly carrying a high burden of disease. We report on the comparative disease severity between infants and older children in a multicenter retrospective cohort study of children 0 to 17 years old admitted for acute COVID-19 from February 2020 through May 2021 in 17 pediatric hospitals. We compare clinical and laboratory characteristics and estimate the association between age group and disease severity using ordinal logistic regression. We found that infants comprised one-third of cases, but were admitted for a shorter period (median 3 days IQR 2-5 versus 4 days IQR 2-7), had a lower likelihood to have an increased C-reactive protein, and had half the odds of older children of having severe or critical disease (OR 0.50 (95% confidence interval 0.32-0.78)).    Conclusion: When compared to older children, there appeared to be a lower threshold to admit infants but their length of stay was shorter and they had lower odds than older children of progressing to severe or critical disease. What is Known: • A small proportion of children infected with SARS-CoV-2 require hospitalization for acute COVID-19 with a subgroup needing specialized intensive care to treat more severe disease. • For most infectious diseases including viral respiratory tract infections, disease severity by age is J-shaped, with infants having more severe disease compared to older children. What is New: • One-third of admitted children for acute COVID-19 during the first 14 months of the pandemic were infants. • Infants had half the odds of older children of having severe or critical disease.

Prevalence and Incidence of Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Other Respiratory Viral Infections in Children Aged 6 Months to 10 Years With Influenza-like Illness Enrolled in a Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: The high burden of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)-associated morbidity and mortality makes vaccine development a priority. METHODS: As part of an efficacy trial of pandemic influenza vaccines (NCT01051661), RSV epidemiology in healthy children aged 6 months to <10 years at first vaccination with influenza-like illness (ILI) was evaluated in Australia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand between February 2010 and August 2011. Active surveillance for ILI was conducted for approximately 1 year, with nasal and throat swabs analyzed by polymerase chain reaction. The prevalence and incidence of RSV among ILI episodes were calculated. RESULTS: A total of 6266 children were included, of whom 2421 experienced 3717 ILI episodes with a respiratory sample available. RSV was detected for 359 ILI episodes, a prevalence of 9.7% (95% confidence interval: 8.7-10.7). The highest prevalence was in children aged 12-23 or 24-35 months in all countries except the Philippines, where it was in children aged 6-11 months. The incidence of RSV-associated ILI was 7.0 (6.3-7.7) per 100 person-years (PY). Eighty-eight ILI episodes resulted in hospitalization, of which 8 were associated with RSV (prevalence 9.1% [4.0-17.1]; incidence 0.2 [0.1-0.3] per 100 PY). The incidence of RSV-associated ILI resulting in medical attendance was 6.0 (5.4-6.7) per 100 PY. RSV B subtypes were observed more frequently than A subtypes. CONCLUSIONS: Active surveillance demonstrated the considerable burden of RSV-associated illness that would not be identified through hospital-based surveillance, with a substantial part of the burden occurring in older infants and children.

Train-the-Trainers in hand hygiene: a standardized approach to guide education in infection prevention and control.

BACKGROUND: Harmonization in hand hygiene training for infection prevention and control (IPC) professionals is lacking. We describe a standardized approach to training, using a "Train-the-Trainers" (TTT) concept for IPC professionals and assess its impact on hand hygiene knowledge in six countries. METHODS: We developed a three-day simulation-based TTT course based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Multimodal Hand Hygiene Improvement Strategy. To evaluate its impact, we have performed a pre-and post-course knowledge questionnaire. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the results before and after training. RESULTS: Between June 2016 and January 2018 we conducted seven TTT courses in six countries: Iran, Malaysia, Mexico, South Africa, Spain and Thailand. A total of 305 IPC professionals completed the programme. Participants included nurses (n = 196; 64.2%), physicians (n = 53; 17.3%) and other health professionals (n = 56; 18.3%). In total, participants from more than 20 countries were trained. A significant (p < 0.05) improvement in knowledge between the pre- and post-TTT training phases was observed in all countries. Puebla (Mexico) had the highest improvement (22.3%; p < 0.001), followed by Malaysia (21.2%; p < 0.001), Jalisco (Mexico; 20.2%; p < 0.001), Thailand (18.8%; p < 0.001), South Africa (18.3%; p < 0.001), Iran (17.5%; p < 0.001) and Spain (9.7%; p = 0.047). Spain had the highest overall test scores, while Thailand had the lowest pre- and post-scores. Positive aspects reported included: unique learning environment, sharing experiences, hands-on practices on a secure environment and networking among IPC professionals. Sustainability was assessed through follow-up evaluations conducted in three original TTT course sites in Mexico (Jalisco and Puebla) and in Spain: improvement was sustained in the last follow-up phase when assessed 5 months, 1 year and 2 years after the first TTT course, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The TTT in hand hygiene model proved to be effective in enhancing participant's knowledge, sharing experiences and networking. IPC professionals can use this reference training method worldwide to further disseminate knowledge to other health care workers.

Respiratory viruses and influenza-like illness: Epidemiology and outcomes in children aged 6 months to 10 years in a multi-country population sample.

BACKGROUND: Better population data on respiratory viruses in children in tropical and southern hemisphere countries is needed. METHODS: The epidemiology of respiratory viruses among healthy children (6 months to <10 years) with influenza-like illness (ILI) was determined in a population sample derived from an influenza vaccine trial (NCT01051661) in 17 centers in eight countries (Australia, South East Asia and Latin America). Active surveillance for ILI was conducted for approximately 1 year (between February 2010 and August 2011), with PCR analysis of nasal and throat swabs. RESULTS: 6266 children were included, of whom 2421 experienced 3717 ILI episodes. Rhinovirus/enterovirus had the highest prevalence (41.5%), followed by influenza (15.8%), adenovirus (9.8%), parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) (both 9.7%), coronavirus (5.6%), human metapneumovirus (5.5%) and human bocavirus (HBov) (2.0%). Corresponding incidence per 100 person-years was 29.78, 11.34, 7.03, 6.96, 6.94, 4.00, 3.98 and 1.41. Except for influenza, respiratory virus prevalence declined with age. The incidence of medically-attended ILI associated with viral infection ranged from 1.03 (HBov) to 23.69 (rhinovirus/enterovirus). The percentage of children missing school or daycare ranged from 21.4% (HBov) to 52.1% (influenza). CONCLUSIONS: Active surveillance of healthy children provided evidence of respiratory illness burden associated with several viruses, with a substantial burden in older children.

Infant botulism in Costa Rica: first report from Central America.

INTRODUCTION: Clostridium botulinum is known to cause descending paralysis in infants throughout the world. METHODOLOGY: The subject of this study was a three-month-old Costa Rican boy who was hospitalized because of poor suction and feeding, hypotonia, and constipation. Clinical history and physical examination findings suggested infant botulism. Samples were sent to the Winnipeg Public Health Laboratory, where Clostridium botulinum toxin A was identified by PCR and culture from the stools, making this the first report of infant botulism in Central America. CONCLUSIONS: Although infant botulism is a known disease, the limitations in identifying it in Central America contributes to the misdiagnosis and under-reporting of this disease.

27th Annual Meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases.

The annual meeting of the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) was recently held in Brussels, Belgium, and gathered world experts in pediatric infectious diseases, vaccinology, epidemiology, microbiology and public health, among others. Among nonvaccine related topics that were discussed, emphasis was given to the continuous surveillance of the most common pathogens causing noninvasive and invasive infectious diseases, other organisms that cause disease, and nosocomial outbreaks by resistant organisms. However, despite the availability of newer antimicrobial therapies for fighting infections in childhood, effective common-sense preventive measures such as hand hygiene can impact positively on the decrease of incidence, and spread of drug- and multidrug-resistant organisms.

Síndrome de Kawasaki: a propósito de un infante con meningitis aséptica y cambios en la cicatriz de BCG / Kawasaki syndrome: a child with aseptic meningitis and changes at BCG scar site

Presentamos el caso de un niño de 12 meses de edad referido al Hospital Nacional de Niños con diagnóstico presuntivo de exantema súbito, meningitis aséptica y choque incipiente. El paciente se ingresa, tras múltiples consultas a un hospital periférico, al día 14 de fiebre como síntoma más importante. A su ingreso se documentó meningitis aséptica, induración y enrojecimiento en el sitio de aplicación de la vacuna de la BCG, aparte de los criterios clásicos para Síndrome de Kawasaki. El ecocardiograma inicial mostró dilatación coronaria. El Síndrome de Kawasaki debe formar parte del diagnóstico diferencial del infante y niño con enfermedad eruptiva febril, y debe tenerse un alto índice de sospecha clínica de esta entidad

Factores de riesgo y complicaciones en pacientes con infecciones por adenovirus en una epidemia en el Hospital Nacional de Niños "Dr. Carlos Sáenz Herrera" / Factors of risk and complications in patients with infections by adenovirus in an epidemic in the Hospital Nacional de Niños

Objetivos: Analizar los datos de pacientes hospitalizados con infecciones por Adenovirus durante una epidemia observada en el Hospital Nacional de Niños "Dr. Carlos Saénz Herrera" (HNN) de octubre de 1999 a marzo del 2000. Diseño: Estudio retrospectivo y descriptivo. Materiales y Métodos: Se revisaron los expedientes de pacientes hospitalizados en el HNN con inmunofluorescencia viral positiva por Adenovirus durante el periodo descrito. Resultados: Cuarenta y seis pacietes se hospitalizaron con el diagnóstico de infección por adenovirus. Todos los pacientes fueron menores de 4 años y seis meses, con una edad promedio de 12.7 meses. Predominó el sexo masculino. El 71.7 por ciento de los pacientes ya habían tendio hospitalizaciones previas. Se identificó que el tener enfermedades como displasia broncopulmonar, reflujo gastroesofágico, oxígenodependencia e hipertensión pulmonar, aumenta el riesgo de tener complicaciones como la ventilación mecánica y la mortalidad. El 68,9 por ciento de los pacientes tenía un estado nutricional normal. Los diagnósticos de ingreso más frecuentes fueron bronconeumonía, bronquiolitis, y diarrea. Los síntomas y signos más frecuentes al ingreso fueron fiebre, dificultad respiratoria y tos. La mayoría (93.5 por ciento) requirió oxígeno desde el ingreso, el 54 por ciento de los pacientes ameritaron ventilación mecánica, un 71,7 por ciento estroides sistémicos, un 80,4 por ciento broncodilatadores y un 89.1 antibióticos. La proteína c reactiva, las concentraciones absolutas de leucocitos, neutrófilos y bandas se elevaron durante las infecciones por adenovirus. Las complicaciones más frecuentes fueron ventilación mecánica, choque séptico, bronquiolitis obliterante y bronconeumonía. Un 28,2 por ciento de los pacientes fallecieron. Conclusiones: Los lactantes mayores, el sexo masculino, el antecedente de hospitalizaciones previas y el tener alguna enfermedad crónica asociada constituyen factores de riesgo para infecciones por adenovirus. La morbi-mortalidad aumenta principalmente en pacientes con enfermdades pulmonares de fondo. Los exámenes de laboratorio pueden confundir la infección por adenovirus con infecciones bacterianas. Las complicaciones fueron infecciosas y pulmonares principalmente. Estas infecciones pueden tener una mortalidad alta. Palabras clave: Infección por adenovirus, epidemiología, complicaciones, niños, morbimortalidad.

Síndrome de Guillain-Barré e infección por el virus Epstein-Barr: Reporte de un caso / Guillan-Barre syndrome infection por the Epstein-Barr virus: Report the on case

Se describe un paciente masculino de 10 años de edad con historia de mialgia, debilidad progresiva en miembros inferiores, fiebre y vómitos. Se postuló el diagnóstico clínico de Síndrome de Guillain-Barré el cual fue subsecuentemente demostrado con el resultado de líquido cefalorraquídeo (LCR) y electromiografía. A su admisión se describió una faringoamigdalitis exudativa y una sinusitis etmoidal, y posteriormente durante el curso de su enfermedad desarrolló una parálisis facial derecha. No habia historia de enfermedad diarreica aguada o enfermedad respiratoria previa al inicio de sus síntomas neurológicos. Los frotis y cultivos de heces fueron negativos por Campylobacter jejuni, al igual que la inmunofluorescencia para virus respiratorios y serología por CMV. Se documentó mediante una IgM positiva en suero la infección aguda por el virus Epstein-Barr. El paciente fue tratado exitosamente con un curso de cinco días de gammaglobulina endovenosa y un mes después, en la consulta externa, se documenta la ausencia de secuelas neurológicas