Kingella kingae septic arthritis.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which patient demographics, clinical presentation, and blood parameters vary in Kingella kingae septic arthritis when compared with those of other organisms, and whether this difference needs to be considered when assessing children in whom a diagnosis of septic arthritis is suspected. METHODS: A prospective case series was undertaken at a single UK paediatric institution between October 2012 and November 2018 of all patients referred with suspected septic arthritis. We recorded the clinical, biochemical, and microbiological findings in all patients. RESULTS: A total of 160 patients underwent arthrotomy for a presumed septic arthritis. Of these, no organism was identified in 61 and only 25 of these were both culture- and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-negative. A total of 36 patients did not undergo PCR analysis. Of the remaining 99 culture- and PCR-positive patients, K. kingae was the most commonly isolated organism (42%, n = 42). The knee (n = 21), shoulder (n = 9), and hip (n = 5) were the three most commonly affected joints. A total of 28 cases (66%) of K. kingae infection were detected only on PCR. The mean age of K. kingae-positive cases (16.1 months) was significantly lower than that of those whose septic arthitis was due to other organisms (49.4 months; p < 0.001). The mean CRP was significantly lower in the K. kingae group than in the other organism group (p < 0.001). The mean ESR/CRP ratio was significantly higher in K. kingae (2.84) than in other infections (1.55; p < 0.008). The mean ESR and ESR/CRP were not significantly different from those in the 'no organism identified' group. CONCLUSION: K. kingae was the most commonly isolated organism from paediatric culture- and/or PCR-positive confirmed septic arthritis, with only one third of cases detected on routine cultures. It is important to develop and maintain a clinical suspicion for K. kingae infection in young patients presenting atypically. Routine PCR testing is recommended in these patients. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(3):584-588.

Brodie abscess of the femoral capital epiphysis in a 2-year-old child caused by Kingella kingae.

We report the case of a Brodie abscess of the femoral capital epiphysis from which Kingella kingae was isolated. This is to the best of our knowledge the first report of a Brodie abscess of the femoral capital epiphysis from which K. kingae was isolated.

Primary epiphyseal or apophyseal subacute osteomyelitis in the pediatric population: a report of fourteen cases and a systematic review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Primary epiphyseal or apophyseal subacute osteomyelitis (PEASAO) is a rare condition that typically has mild symptoms and lack of a systemic reaction, according to opinions, case reports, and case series. We reviewed fourteen consecutive cases of PEASAO treated at our institution over a thirteen-year period to characterize this disorder. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all children and adolescents who had been surgically managed for PEASAO at our institution from January 2000 to December 2012. A systematic review of the literature was also performed to identify trends in causative organisms and formulate evidence-based recommendations for diagnosis and treatment. RESULTS: Fourteen children (median age, 27.8 months) with PEASAO were included in the study. Fever (rectal temperature, >38°C) was present at admission in two children, C-reactive protein was within the normal range (<10 mg/dL) in eleven, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate was >20 mm/hr in eight, and the white blood-cell count was normal in all. The pathogen was not identified on blood cultures in any child and was identified on classical cultures of bone samples in only one. Use of PCR (polymerase chain reaction) assays allowed the pathogen to be identified in an additional eight children. The pathogen was Kingella kingae in eight and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus in one. DISCUSSION: The use of organism-specific real-time PCR assays markedly improves the detection rate of the pathogen responsible for PEASAO, and K. kingae is the most commonly detected pathogen. The literature highlights a biphasic age distribution of PEASAO in children. The infantile form affects children from one to less than four years of age, accounting for approximately 75% of all PEASAO cases. The second form, in older children, is more likely to be associated with fever and systemic symptoms. The femur and the tibia are the most commonly affected long bones. Laboratory data are usually noncontributory for diagnosing PEASAO, and blood cultures are often sterile. Although K. kingae is the most commonly detected microorganism in children less than four years of age, S. aureus is responsible for most PEASAO in older children. Antibiotic treatment is usually sufficient to eradicate the pathogen.

A rare case of Neisseria bacilliformis native valve endocarditis.

Neisseria bacilliformis has most often been associated with infections of the oral cavity and the respiratory tract. We report a case of N. bacilliformis mitral valve endocarditis in a previously healthy adult which required valve replacement, thus confirming the opportunistic nature and pathogenic potential of this novel organism.

Neisseria sicca endocarditis requiring mitral valve replacement in a previously healthy adolescent.

Infective endocarditis due to Neisseria sicca, a normal inhabitant of the upper respiratory tract, is rarely reported but associated with embolic phenomena and large vegetations often requiring surgical intervention. We report a previously healthy 12-year-old girl who presented with prolonged fever and altered mental status. The patient developed rapidly progressive respiratory insufficiency and cardiovascular instability, and echocardiography demonstrated a large vegetation on the mitral valve. She developed worsening mitral regurgitation with resultant pulmonary hemorrhage and underwent mitral valve replacement. Her blood culture was positive for N. sicca. This infection should be considered in patients with prolonged high fever and multiorgan dysfunction. Despite a typically severe course, reported mortality is low.

[Antibiotic therapy of bone and joint infections in children: recent changes]. / Antibiothérapie des infections ostéo-articulaires de l'enfant : ce qui a changé

Management of bone and joint infections in children associates early appropriate antibiotic therapy against Staphylococcus aureus and Kingella kingae and, if necessary, surgical drainage of abscess or septic arthritis. In 2007, the Paediatric Infectious Diseases Group of the French Society of Paediatrics (GPIP) proposed guidelines for antibiotherapy in acute and non-complicated cases, with an intravenous therapy during 4 to 7 days followed by oral therapy during 3 weeks.

Sinusitis in neurologically impaired children.

The microbiologic features of infected sinus aspirates in nine children with neurologic impairment were studied. Anaerobic bacteria, always mixed with aerobic and facultative bacteria, were isolated in 6 (67%) aspirates and aerobic bacteria only in 3 (33%). There were 24 bacterial isolates, 12 aerobic or facultative and 12 anaerobic. The predominant aerobic isolates were Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, and Staphylococcus aureus (2 each) and Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Streptococcus pneumoniae (1 each). The predominant anaerobes were Prevotella sp. (5), Peptostreptococcus sp. (4), Fusobacterium nucleatum (2), and Bacteroides fragilis (1). Beta-lactamase-producing bacteria were isolated from 8 (89%) patients. Organisms similar to those recovered from the sinuses were also isolated from tracheostomy site and gastrostomy wound aspirates in five of seven instances. This study demonstrates the uniqueness of the microbiologic features of sinusitis in neurologically impaired children, in which, in addition to the organisms known to cause infection in children without neurologic impairment, facultative and anaerobic gram-negative organisms that can colonize other body sites are predominant.

Endophthalmitis caused by unusual gram-negative bacilli: three case reports and review.

Endophthalmitis due to gram-negative bacilli has been associated with a high degree of vision loss. We report three cases due to the nonenteric gram-negative bacilli Moraxella nonliquefaciens, Haemophilus paraphrophilus, and multidrug-resistant Haemophilus influenzae. The features of these cases are compared with those of other reported cases of endophthalmitis due to unusual nonenteric gram-negative bacilli. Fifty-eight percent of patients had no vision in the affected eye after treatment. Early surgical intervention with vitrectomy and intravitreous antibiotics in addition to parenteral antibiotics should be included in the treatment of endophthalmitis due to gram-negative bacilli.