The effectiveness and safety of antibody induction immunosuppression in a large cohort of United States pediatric liver transplant recipients.

Data on the potential benefits and risks of induction therapy in pediatric liver transplantation (LT) are limited. This was a retrospective cohort study of 2748 pediatric LT recipients at 26 children's hospitals between January 1, 2006 to May 31, 2017 using data from the pediatric health information system linked to the United Network for Organ Sharing database. The induction regimen was obtained from the pediatric health information system day-by-day pharmacy resource utilization. Cox proportional hazards evaluated the association of induction regimen (none/corticosteroid-only, nondepleting, and depleting) on patient and graft survival. Additional outcomes, including opportunistic infections and posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder, were studied using multivariable logistic regression. Overall, 64.9% received none/corticosteroid-only induction, whereas 28.1% received nondepleting, 8.3% received depleting, and 2.5% other antibody regimens. Differences in patient characteristics were small, but center practices were heterogeneous. Compared with none/corticosteroid-only induction, nondepleting induction was associated with reduced acute rejection (odd ratio [OR], 0.53; P <.001) but with the increased posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder (OR, 1.75; P =.021). Depleting induction was associated with improved graft survival (hazard ratio [HR], 0.64; P =.028) but with increased noncytomegalovirus opportunistic infections (OR, 1.46; P =.046). Depleting induction is underused yet may offer long-term benefits in this large multicenter cohort. Greater consensus guidance in this aspect of pediatric LT care is warranted.

Interpretation and management of positive anti-hepatitis B core antibody tests in immunocompromised pediatric patients.

Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy is increasingly used in the pediatric population, in particular among children with immune-compromising conditions. Pooled immunoglobulin products are routinely tested for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and nucleic acid; however, screening for hepatitis B core antibody (anti-HBc) is not commonly performed. Thus, the administration of IVIg containing anti-HBc to children with immune-compromising conditions may complicate the interpretation of hepatitis B serologic testing in that a positive anti-HBc test may represent passive transfer of antibody from IVIg or may indicate resolved or chronic hepatitis B infection. Due to the risk of hepatitis B reactivation in immunocompromised patients, a positive anti-HBc test must be carefully considered. As part of a quality improvement initiative, we identified and reviewed the records of all pediatric patients at our institution who tested positive for anti-HBc over an 18-month period. Of 44 total patients with positive anti-HBc tests, we found that 22 (50%) had previously received IVIg in the preceding 4 months. All but one of these, 21/22 (95%), went on to receive immunosuppressive therapy (IS). Among the patients who received IS, 19 (86%) had not undergone hepatitis B serologic testing prior to IVIg administration and 16 (73%) did not have subsequent testing to distinguish between passive acquisition of anti-HBc from IVIg and chronic hepatitis B infection. Our single-center experience reveals that a high proportion of positive anti-HBc tests in children are presumed to be because of the passive antibody transfer from IVIg. However, a low proportion of patients undergo confirmatory testing, despite the risk of hepatitis B reactivation during IS. We thus propose a risk-based algorithm for interpretation and monitoring of hepatitis B testing in immunocompromised children.

A Case Report of Pediatric Brucellosis in an Algerian Immigrant.

An 8-year old girl presented to our facility with a 10-day history of fever, fatigue, abdominal pain and refusal to walk. She recently travelled from her native Algeria where she first developed symptoms. On evaluation, she was ill-appearing, febrile and tachycardic with hepatosplenomegaly and lymphadenopathy noted on examination. A strong musty odor was also noted from the child. Laboratory evaluation revealed pancytopenia, hyponatremia, and an elevated AST, ALT, and LDH. Malaria testing was negative, as was a PPD. On further questioning, the family reported multiple sick contacts in Algeria with similar symptoms. After discussion with Oncology and Infectious Diseases, she underwent a bone marrow biopsy that was significant for multiple non-caseating ring granulomas. She was started on combination therapy of doxycycline and for presumed brucellosis infection with improvement in her symptoms and resolution of fever. Bone marrow culture returned several days later positive for Brucella melitensis.