Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) Newborn Colonization in a Portuguese Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU): Epidemiology and Infection Prevention and Control Measures.

Infections due to carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE) are increasing worldwide and are especially concerning in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Risk factors for CPE gut colonization in neonates need to be clarified. In this work, we describe the epidemiological and clinical features of CPE-colonized newborns and the infection control measures in a Portuguese NICU. We performed a prospective, observational, longitudinal, cohort study for surveillance of CPE colonization. Maternal and neonatal features of colonized newborns and surveillance strategy were described. A statistical analysis was performed with SPSS23.0, and significance was indicated by p-value ≤ 0.05. Between March and November 2019, CPE was isolated in 5.8% of 173 admitted neonates. Carbapenemase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae were the most frequently isolated. There was no associated infection. Birth weight, gestational age, length of stay, and days of central line were the identified risk factors for CPE colonization (bivariate analysis with Student's t-test or Mann-Whitney U test, according to normality). No independent risk factors for CPE colonization were identified in the logistic regression analysis. CPE colonization risk factors are still to be determined accurately in the neonatal population. Active surveillance and continuous infection control measures restrained the current cluster of colonized newborns and helped to prevent infection and future outbreaks.

Congenital SARS-CoV-2 Infection in a Neonate With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

Coronavirus disease, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is mainly transmitted through droplets, but other ways of transmission have been hypothesized. We report a case of vertical transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in a preterm born to an infected mother, confirmed by the presence of the virus in the neonatal blood, nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs collected in the first half an hour of life. The neonate presented with acute respiratory distress, similar to the findings in severely affected adults. This case highlights the importance of pregnancy, labor and neonatal period surveillance of affected mothers and their newborns.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin reactivation as a sign of incomplete Kawasaki disease.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute, self-limited, systemic vasculitis of unknown aetiology, extremely rare in infants younger than 6 months old. Younger infants are more likely to present with incomplete KD (IKD) and are at higher risk of developing coronary abnormalities. An early and specific clinical sign, not included in the classical diagnosis criteria, but that can be very useful in the diagnosis of KD, is the reaction at the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) inoculation site. We describe a case of a 4-month-old boy, fully immunised, whose BCG scar reactivation led to the diagnosis of IKD. This case-report emphasises the importance of BCG site reactivation in establishing a diagnosis of IKD that clinicians should be aware of, especially in countries where BCG vaccination is still part of the immunisation schedule.

[Peritoneal Dialysis in the First Two Years of Life: Experience of a Nephrology and Renal Transplantation Pediatric Unit]. / Diálise Peritoneal nos Dois Primeiros Anos de Vida: Experiência de uma Unidade de Nefrologia e Transplantação Renal Pediátrica.

INTRODUCTION: Peritoneal dialysis is the dialytic method of choice in chronic end-stage renal disease in children. This study main purpose was to characterize the long-term survival of a pediatric population who began peritoneal dialysis within the first two years of life. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A descriptive and retrospective study was performed in a portuguese nephrology and renal transplantation pediatric unit, between January 1991 and August 2014. End-stage renal disease etiology, mortality, comorbidities and complications of peritoneal dialysis and end-stage renal disease, growth and psychomotor development were evaluated. RESULTS: Twenty children started peritoneal dialysis within the first two years of life. There were six deaths, but no deaths of children with primary chronic kidney disease were registered over the past decade. The 14 living children were characterized; 13 were males. Congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract were the leading etiology of chronic kidney disease (45%). The average age start of peritoneal dialysis was 6.1 months; six children started before 30 days of life. Peritonitis was the most frequent cause of hospitalization. Ten children were transplanted at an average age of 5.3 years. All of the children who are still in peritoneal dialysis have short stature, but nine of the transplanted have final height within the expected for their mid-parental height target range. Nine (64%) had some type of neurodevelopmental delay. DISCUSSION: Peritoneal dialysis is a technique possible and feasible since birth, as evidenced in the study, as more than half of children successfully started it before 6 months of life. It allows long-term survival until the possibility of renal transplantation despite the associated morbidity, including peritonitis and complications of chronic renal disease. The ten transplanted children improved their growth, recovered from chronic anemia and improved dyslipidemia, compared with the period of dialysis. However, the average waiting time until the renal transplant was 5.3 years higher than other international centers. CONCLUSION: These data support the use of peritoneal dialysis from birth, but complications and the worst growth reflect the need to develop strategies to optimize care relating to nutrition, growth and development and to reduce pre-transplant time.

Introdução: A diálise peritoneal é o método dialítico de eleição perante doença renal crónica terminal em idade pediátrica. O objetivo deste estudo foi caracterizar a sobrevivência a longo prazo de uma população de crianças, que iniciou diálise peritoneal nos dois primeiros anos de vida. Material e Métodos: Estudo descritivo e retrospetivo, realizado numa unidade de nefrologia e transplantação renal pediátrica portuguesa, no período de janeiro de 1991 a agosto de 2014. Avaliou-se etiologia da doença renal crónica terminal, mortalidade, comorbilidades e complicações da diálise peritoneal e da doença renal crónica terminal, crescimento e desenvolvimento psicomotor.Resultados: Vinte crianças iniciaram diálise peritoneal antes dos dois anos. Ocorreram seis óbitos; não houve mortalidade em crianças com doença renal primária nos últimos 10 anos. Caracterizaram-se os 14 sobreviventes, 13 do sexo masculino. As anomalias congénitas do rim e do trato urinário constituíram a principal causa de doença renal crónica terminal (45%).O início de diálise peritoneal ocorreu em média aos 6,1 meses, em seis casos antes dos 30 dias de vida. A peritonite foi o motivo mais frequente de internamento. Dez crianças foram transplantadas, com idade média de 5,3 anos. Em relação ao crescimento, as quatro crianças que se mantêm em diálise peritoneal têm baixa estatura, mas nove dos transplantados têm uma estatura final dentro do esperado para a sua estatura-alvo familiar. Nove (64%) tiveram alterações no desenvolvimento psicomotor. Discussão: A diálise peritoneal é uma técnica possível e exequível desde o nascimento, tal como evidenciado nesta amostra, em que se iniciou com sucesso em mais de metade das crianças antes dos seis meses de vida. Permite uma sobrevivência a longo prazo até à possibilidade do transplante renal apesar da morbilidade associada, nomeadamente as peritonites e as complicações da doença renal crónica. As dez crianças transplantadas desta amostra melhoraram o seu crescimento, recuperaram da anemia crónica e melhoraram da dislipidémia, comparativamente com o período em diálise. No entanto, o tempo médio de espera até ao TR de 5,3 anos foi superior ao de outros centros internacionais.Conclusão: Estes dados apoiam a utilização da diálise peritoneal desde o nascimento, embora as complicações e o pior crescimento associados reflitam a necessidade de desenvolver estratégias para otimizar nutrição, crescimento e desenvolvimento e reduzir o tempo pré-transplante renal.