The Thousand Faces of Invasive Group A Streptococcal Infections: Update on Epidemiology, Symptoms, and Therapy.

Invasive infections caused by Streptococcus pyogfenes (iGAS), commonly known as Group A Streptococcus, represent a significant public health concern due to their potential for rapid progression and life-threatening complications. Epidemiologically, invasive GAS infections exhibit a diverse global distribution, affecting individuals of all ages with varying predisposing factors. The pathogenesis of invasive GAS involves an array of virulence factors that contribute to tissue invasion, immune evasion, and systemic dissemination. In pediatrics, in the last few years, an increase in iGAS infections has been reported worldwide becoming a challenging disease to diagnose and treat promptly. This review highlights the current knowledge on pathogenesis, clinical presentations, and therapeutic approaches for iGAS in children.

Patterns of antibiotic use, pathogens, and prediction of mortality in hospitalized neonates and young infants with sepsis: A global neonatal sepsis observational cohort study (NeoOBS).

BACKGROUND: There is limited data on antibiotic treatment in hospitalized neonates in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We aimed to describe patterns of antibiotic use, pathogens, and clinical outcomes, and to develop a severity score predicting mortality in neonatal sepsis to inform future clinical trial design. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Hospitalized infants <60 days with clinical sepsis were enrolled during 2018 to 2020 by 19 sites in 11 countries (mainly Asia and Africa). Prospective daily observational data was collected on clinical signs, supportive care, antibiotic treatment, microbiology, and 28-day mortality. Two prediction models were developed for (1) 28-day mortality from baseline variables (baseline NeoSep Severity Score); and (2) daily risk of death on IV antibiotics from daily updated assessments (NeoSep Recovery Score). Multivariable Cox regression models included a randomly selected 85% of infants, with 15% for validation. A total of 3,204 infants were enrolled, with median birth weight of 2,500 g (IQR 1,400 to 3,000) and postnatal age of 5 days (IQR 1 to 15). 206 different empiric antibiotic combinations were started in 3,141 infants, which were structured into 5 groups based on the World Health Organization (WHO) AWaRe classification. Approximately 25.9% (n = 814) of infants started WHO first line regimens (Group 1-Access) and 13.8% (n = 432) started WHO second-line cephalosporins (cefotaxime/ceftriaxone) (Group 2-"Low" Watch). The largest group (34.0%, n = 1,068) started a regimen providing partial extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)/pseudomonal coverage (piperacillin-tazobactam, ceftazidime, or fluoroquinolone-based) (Group 3-"Medium" Watch), 18.0% (n = 566) started a carbapenem (Group 4-"High" Watch), and 1.8% (n = 57) a Reserve antibiotic (Group 5, largely colistin-based), and 728/2,880 (25.3%) of initial regimens in Groups 1 to 4 were escalated, mainly to carbapenems, usually for clinical deterioration (n = 480; 65.9%). A total of 564/3,195 infants (17.7%) were blood culture pathogen positive, of whom 62.9% (n = 355) had a gram-negative organism, predominantly Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 132) or Acinetobacter spp. (n = 72). Both were commonly resistant to WHO-recommended regimens and to carbapenems in 43 (32.6%) and 50 (71.4%) of cases, respectively. MRSA accounted for 33 (61.1%) of 54 Staphylococcus aureus isolates. Overall, 350/3,204 infants died (11.3%; 95% CI 10.2% to 12.5%), 17.7% if blood cultures were positive for pathogens (95% CI 14.7% to 21.1%, n = 99/564). A baseline NeoSep Severity Score had a C-index of 0.76 (0.69 to 0.82) in the validation sample, with mortality of 1.6% (3/189; 95% CI: 0.5% to 4.6%), 11.0% (27/245; 7.7% to 15.6%), and 27.3% (12/44; 16.3% to 41.8%) in low (score 0 to 4), medium (5 to 8), and high (9 to 16) risk groups, respectively, with similar performance across subgroups. A related NeoSep Recovery Score had an area under the receiver operating curve for predicting death the next day between 0.8 and 0.9 over the first week. There was significant variation in outcomes between sites and external validation would strengthen score applicability. CONCLUSION: Antibiotic regimens used in neonatal sepsis commonly diverge from WHO guidelines, and trials of novel empiric regimens are urgently needed in the context of increasing antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The baseline NeoSep Severity Score identifies high mortality risk criteria for trial entry, while the NeoSep Recovery Score can help guide decisions on regimen change. NeoOBS data informed the NeoSep1 antibiotic trial (ISRCTN48721236), which aims to identify novel first- and second-line empiric antibiotic regimens for neonatal sepsis. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, (NCT03721302).

Pediatric COVID-TB: A Clinical Perspective Based on the Analysis of Three Cases.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and tuberculosis (TB) are currently two major causes of death among infectious diseases. Active tuberculosis and a history of tuberculosis appear to be associated with an increased risk of COVID-19. This coinfection, named COVID-TB, was never described in previously healthy children. We report three cases of pediatric COVID-TB. We describe three girls affected by tuberculosis, who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. The first patient is a 5-year-old girl who was hospitalized for recurrent TB lymphadenopathy. As she never had any complications related to the concomitant infection with SARS-CoV-2, she received TB treatment. The second case is a 13-year-old patient with a history of pulmonary and splenic tuberculosis. She was admitted to the hospital due to deteriorating respiratory dynamics. She was already undergoing treatment for TB, but in the absence of improvement, she also required treatment for COVID-19. Slowly, the general condition improved until discharge. The last patient, a 10-year-old girl, was hospitalized for supraclavicular swelling. The investigations showed disseminated TB characterized by lung and bone involvement without COVID-19-related complications. She was treated with antitubercular and supportive therapy. Based on the data obtained from the adult population and our small experience, a pediatric patient with COVID-TB infection should be considered potentially at risk of worse clinical outcomes; for this reason, we suggest close observation, careful clinical management, and consideration of targeted anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapies.

Challenges in the Implementation of the NeoOBS Study, a Global Pragmatic Observational Cohort Study, to Investigate the Aetiology and Management of Neonatal Sepsis in the Hospital Setting.

Neonatal sepsis is a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in low- and middle-income countries. To deliver high-quality data studies and inform future trials, it is crucial to understand the challenges encountered when managing global multi-centre research studies and to identify solutions that can feasibly be implemented in these settings. This paper provides an overview of the complexities faced by diverse research teams in different countries and regions, together with actions implemented to achieve pragmatic study management of a large multi-centre observational study of neonatal sepsis. We discuss specific considerations for enrolling sites with different approval processes and varied research experience, structures, and training. Implementing a flexible recruitment strategy and providing ongoing training were necessary to overcome these challenges. We emphasize the attention that must be given to designing the database and monitoring plans. Extensive data collection tools, complex databases, tight timelines, and stringent monitoring arrangements can be problematic and might put the study at risk. Finally, we discuss the complexities added when collecting and shipping isolates and the importance of having a robust central management team and interdisciplinary collaborators able to adapt easily and make swift decisions to deliver the study on time and to target. With pragmatic approaches, appropriate training, and good communication, these challenges can be overcome to deliver high-quality data from a complex study in challenging settings through a collaborative research network.

Neonatal invasive candidiasis in low- and middle-income countries: Data from the NeoOBS study.

Neonatal invasive candidiasis (NIC) has significant morbidity and mortality. Reports have shown a different profile of those neonates affected with NIC and of fluconazole-resistant Candida spp. isolates in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) compared to high-income countries (HICs). We describe the epidemiology, Candida spp. distribution, treatment, and outcomes of neonates with NIC from LMICs enrolled in a global, prospective, longitudinal, observational cohort study (NeoOBS) of hospitalized infants <60 days postnatal age with sepsis (August 2018-February 2021). A total of 127 neonates from 14 hospitals in 8 countries with Candida spp. isolated from blood culture were included. Median gestational age of affected neonates was 30 weeks (IQR: 28-34), and median birth weight was 1270 gr (interquartile range [IQR]: 990-1692). Only a minority had high-risk criteria, such as being born <28 weeks, 19% (24/127), or birth weight <1000 gr, 27% (34/127). The most common Candida species were C. albicans (n = 45, 35%), C. parapsilosis (n = 38, 30%), and Candida auris (n = 18, 14%). The majority of C. albicans isolates were fluconazole susceptible, whereas 59% of C. parapsilosis isolates were fluconazole-resistant. Amphotericin B was the most common antifungal used [74% (78/105)], followed by fluconazole [22% (23/105)]. Death by day 28 post-enrollment was 22% (28/127). To our knowledge, this is the largest multi-country cohort of NIC in LMICs. Most of the neonates would not have been considered at high risk for NIC in HICs. A substantial proportion of isolates was resistant to first choice fluconazole. Understanding the burden of NIC in LMIC is essential to guide future research and treatment guidelines.

Our study describes neonates from low- and middle-income countries with neonatal invasive candidiasis (NIC). Most of them were outside the groups considered at high risk for NIC described in high-income countries. Candida spp. epidemiology was also different. The mortality was high (22%). Further research in these settings is required.

Secondary cytomegalovirus infections: How much do we still not know? Comparison of children with symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus born to mothers with primary and secondary infection.

Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection can follow primary and secondary maternal infection. Growing evidence indicate that secondary maternal infections contribute to a much greater proportion of symptomatic cCMV than was previously thought. We performed a monocentric retrospective study of babies with cCMV evaluated from August 2004 to February 2021; we compared data of symptomatic children born to mothers with primary or secondary infection, both at birth and during follow up. Among the 145 babies with available data about maternal infection, 53 were classified as having symptomatic cCMV and were included in the study: 40 babies were born to mothers with primary infection and 13 babies were born to mothers with secondary infection. Analyzing data at birth, we found no statistical differences in the rate of clinical findings in the two groups, except for unilateral sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) which was significantly more frequent in patients born to mother with secondary infection than in those born to mother with primary infection (46.2 vs. 17.5%, P = 0.037). During follow up, we found a higher rate of many sequelae (tetraparesis, epilepsy, motor and speech delay, and unilateral SNHL) in the group of children born to mothers with secondary infection, with a statistical difference for tetraparesis and unilateral SNHL. Otherwise, only children born to mothers with primary infection presented bilateral SNHL both at birth and follow up. Our data suggest that the risk of symptomatic cCMV and long-term sequelae is similar in children born to mother with primary and secondary CMV infection; it is important to pay appropriate attention to seropositive mothers in order to prevent reinfection and to detect and possibly treat infected babies.

Epidemiological characterization of SARS-CoV-2 variants in children over the four COVID-19 waves and correlation with clinical presentation.

Since the start of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, children aged ≤ 12 years have always been defined as underrepresented in terms of SARS-CoV-2 infections' frequency and severity. By correlating SARS-CoV-2 transmission dynamics with clinical and virological features in 612 SARS-CoV-2 positive patients aged ≤ 12 years, we demonstrated a sizeable circulation of different SARS-CoV-2 lineages over the four pandemic waves in paediatric population, sustained by local transmission chains. Age < 5 years, highest viral load, gamma and delta clades positively influence this local transmission. No correlations between COVID-19 manifestations and lineages or transmission chains are seen, except for a negative correlation between B.1.1.7 and hospitalization.

Safety of Monoclonal Antibodies in Children Affected by SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

Monoclonal antibody therapies for COVID-19 have been frequently used in adults, whereas there are little data regarding the safety or efficacy of monoclonal antibody treatments in pediatric patients affected by COVID-19. We report our experience in the administration of mAb as a treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection in children aged from 24 days to 18 years old.

Severe COVID-19 Complicated by Cerebral Venous Thrombosis in a Newborn Successfully Treated with Remdesivir, Glucocorticoids, and Hyperimmune Plasma.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, affecting all age groups with a wide spectrum of clinical presentation ranging from asymptomatic to severe interstitial pneumonia, hyperinflammation, and death. Children and infants generally show a mild course of the disease, although infants have been observed to have a higher risk of hospitalization and severe outcomes. Here, we report the case of a preterm infant with a severe form of SARS-CoV-2 infection complicated by cerebral venous thrombosis successfully treated with steroids, hyperimmune plasma, and remdesivir.

Italian consensus on the therapeutic management of uncomplicated acute hematogenous osteomyelitis in children.

BACKGROUND: Acute hematogenous osteomyelitis (AHOM) is an insidious infection of the bone that more frequently affects young males. The etiology, mainly bacterial, is often related to the patient's age, but it is frequently missed, owing to the low sensitivity of microbiological cultures. Thus, the evaluation of inflammatory biomarkers and imaging usually guide the diagnosis and follow-up of the infection. The antibiotic treatment of uncomplicated AHOM, on the other hand, heavily relies upon the clinician experience, given the current lack of national guidelines for the management of this infection. METHODS: A systematic review of the studies on the empirical treatment of uncomplicated AHOM in children published in English or Italian between January 1, 2009, and March 31, 2020, indexed on Pubmed or Embase search engines, was carried out. All guidelines and studies reporting on non-bacterial or complicated or post-traumatic osteomyelitis affecting newborns or children older than 18 years or with comorbidities were excluded from the review. All other works were included in this study. RESULTS: Out of 4576 articles, 53 were included in the study. Data on different topics was gathered and outlined: bone penetration of antibiotics; choice of intravenous antibiotic therapy according to the isolated or suspected pathogen; choice of oral antibiotic therapy; length of treatment and switch to oral therapy; surgical treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The therapeutic management of osteomyelitis is still object of controversy. This study reports the first Italian consensus on the management of uncomplicated AHOM in children of pediatric osteomyelitis, based on expert opinions and a vast literature review.

Lung ultrasound in the diagnosis and monitoring of 30 children with coronavirus disease 2019.

BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused a new global pandemic and is responsible for millions of infections and thousands of deaths in the world. The lung ultrasound (LUS) is a noninvasive and easily repeatable tool and can be carried out by the pediatrician at the bedside of children with a consequent reduction in the risk of transmission of the virus. OBJECTIVE: We hypothesized that ultrasound findings in these patients would (1) be associated with their disease severity and (2) change over time in alignment with clinical outcome. METHODS: The study was made in the emergency department (ED) in a tertiary level pediatric hospital. All patients with swab-confirmed COVID-19 infection were subjected to a LUS within 6 h from admission and after 96 h. RESULTS: Among a total of 30 children, 18 (60%) were males, 4 reported exertional dyspnea, and only 1 chest pain. The mean oxygen saturation was 98.8 ± 1.0% in ambient air in the ED and no patient needed oxygen therapy during hospitalization. Children with moderate disease presented more B line (p = .03). After 96 h, we had observed ultrasound abnormality only in 20% of the children. We found a statistically significant reduction in pleural irregularities (30% vs. 16.7; p = .001) and in B lines (50% vs. 20%; p = .008). CONCLUSIONS: The LUS is a useful, feasible, and safe tool for the clinician to complement the clinical evaluation and to monitor the evolution of lung disease in children with COVID-19.

A neonatal cluster of novel coronavirus disease 2019: clinical management and considerations.

BACKGROUND: Lately, one of the major clinical and public health issues has been represented by Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) during pregnancy and the risk of transmission of the infection from mother to child. Debate on perinatal management and postnatal care is still ongoing, principally questioning the option of the joint management of mother and child after birth and the safety of breastfeeding. According to the available reports, neonatal COVID-19 appears to have a horizontal transmission and seems to be paucisymptomatic or asymptomatic, compared to older age groups. The aim of this work is to describe a cluster of neonatal COVID-19 and discuss our experience, with reference to current evidence on postnatal care and perinatal management. METHODS: This is a retrospective observational case series of five mother-child dyads, who attended the Labor and Delivery Unit of a first-level hospital in Italy, in March 2020. Descriptive statistics for continuous variables consisted of number of observations, mean and the range of the minimum and maximum values. RESULTS: Five women and four neonates tested positive for Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In one case, the mother-child dyad was separated and the neonate remained negative on two consecutive tests. Two positive neonates developed symptoms, with a predominant involvement of the gastrointestinal tract. Blood tests were unremarkable, except for a single patient who developed mild neutropenia. No complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS: We agree that the decision on whether or not to separate a positive/suspected mother from her child should be made on an individual basis, taking into account the parent's will, clinical condition, hospital logistics and the local epidemiological situation. In conformity with literature, in our study, affected neonates were asymptomatic or paucisymptomatic. Despite these reassuring findings, a few cases of severe presentation in the neonatal population have been reported. Therefore, we agree on encouraging clinicians to monitor the neonates with a suspected or confirmed infection.

Dynamic Viral Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 RNA Shedding in Children: Preliminary Data and Clinical Consideration from a Italian Regional Center.

We evaluated severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 RNA clearance in 22 children. The estimation of positivity at day 14 was 52% for nasopharyngeal swab and 31% for stool samples. These data underline the significance of nasopharyngeal and stoolsample for detecting infected children. Additional studies are needed for transmissibility.

Accuracy of serum procalcitonin for the diagnosis of sepsis in neonates and children with systemic inflammatory syndrome: a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: A number of biomarkers have been studied for the diagnosis of sepsis in paediatrics, but no gold standard has been identified. Procalcitonin (PCT) was demonstrated to be an accurate biomarker for the diagnosis of sepsis in adults and showed to be promising in paediatrics. Our study reviewed the diagnostic accuracy of PCT as an early biomarker of sepsis in neonates and children with suspected sepsis. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was carried out in Medline/Pubmed, Embase, ISI Web of Science, CINAHL and Cochrane Library, for studies assessing PCT accuracy in the diagnosis of sepsis in children and neonates with suspected sepsis. Studies in which the presence of infection had been confirmed microbiologically or classified as "probable" by chart review were included. Studies comparing patients to healthy subjects were excluded. We analysed data on neonates and children separately. Our primary outcome was the diagnostic accuracy of PCT at the cut-off of 2-2.5 ng/ml, while as secondary outcomes we analysed PCT cut-offs <2 ng/ml and >2.5 ng/ml. Pooled sensitivities and specificities were calculated by a bivariate meta-analysis and heterogeneity was graphically evaluated. RESULTS: We included 17 studies, with a total of 1408 patients (1086 neonates and 322 children). Studies on neonates with early onset sepsis (EOS) and late onset sepsis (LOS) were grouped together. In the neonatal group, we calculated a sensitivity of 0.85, confidence interval (CI) (0.76; 0.90) and specificity of 0.54, CI (0.38; 0.70) at the PCT cut-off of 2.0-2.5 ng/ml. In the paediatric group it was not possible to undertake a pooled analysis at the PCT cut-off of 2.0-2.5 ng/ml, due to the paucity of the studies. CONCLUSIONS: PCT shows a moderate accuracy for the diagnosis of sepsis in neonates with suspected sepsis at the cut-off of 2.0-2.5 ng/ml. More studies with high methodological quality are warranted, particularly in neonates, studies considering EOS and LOS separately are needed to improve specificity. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO Identifier: CRD42016033809 . Registered 30 Jan 2016.

Diagnostic value of soluble triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells in paediatric sepsis: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Differential diagnosis between sepsis and non-infectious inflammatory disorders demands improved biomarkers. Soluble Triggering Receptor Expression on Myeloid cells (sTREM-1) is an activating receptor whose role has been studied throughout the last decade. We performed a systematic review to evaluate the accuracy of plasma sTREM-1 levels in the diagnosis of sepsis in children with Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS). METHODS: A literature search of PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) and ISI Web of Knowledge databases was performed using specific search terms. Studies were included if they assessed the diagnostic accuracy of plasma sTREM-1 for sepsis in paediatric patients with SIRS. Data on sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, area under receiver operating characteristic curve were extracted. The methodological quality of each study was assessed using a checklist based on the Quality Assessment Tool for Diagnostic Accuracy Studies. RESULTS: Nine studies comprising 961 patients were included, four of which were in newborns, three in children and two in children with febrile neutropenia. Some data from single studies support a role of sTREM-1 as a diagnostic tool in pediatric sepsis, but cannot be considered conclusive, because a quantitative synthesis was not possible, due to heterogeneity in studies design. CONCLUSIONS: This systematic review suggests that available data are insufficient to support a role for sTREM in the diagnosis and follow-up of paediatric sepsis.

Granulicatella bacteraemia in children: two cases and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Granulicatella spp. is a fastidious bacteria responsible for bacteremia and endocarditis which are fatal in about 20% of the cases. These severe infections are uncommon in children under 17 years of age and have proven extremely difficult to treat. CASES PRESENTATION: We report a brief review of the literature and two cases of NVS bacteremia by Granulicatella complicated by infective endocarditis (IE). The first one is that of a 7-year-old Caucasian female with Shone syndrome and IE involving the pulmonary valve homograft, confirmed by echocardiography. The second case is that of a 5-year-old Caucasian male. In this patient echocardiogram was negative for signs of IE; however, a "possible" IE was suspected on the basis of a cardiac catheterization 3 weeks before the onset of fever. Since in both our patients clinical failure of first line antibiotic treatment was observed, we used a combination of meropenem with another anti-streptococcal drug with excellent results. CONCLUSION: In Granulicatella bacteremia in the pediatric population, combination antimicrobial therapy including meropenem should be considered as a second line treatment in non-responding patients.

Fulminant Fusobacterium necrophorum meningitis in an immunocompetent adolescent.

Fusobacterium necrophorum is an anaerobic, gram-negative highly virulent bacillus, isolated from the oropharingeal cavity, the gastrointestinal tract, and the female genital tract. It is responsible of several clinical syndromes, mainly in children or adolescents, ranging from localized abscess, usually in the upper respiratory sites, to severe septicemic diseases, including meningitis. We report the fatal case of an immunocompetent male with suppurative otitis media and meningitis. Initial empiric antibiotic treatment was not effective. After the recovery of anaerobic gram-negative bacilli from blood cultures, treatment with metronidazole was started, and a rapid improvement in laboratory parameters was observed. However, the patient's clinical course was incurable because of cerebral hypertensive complications. F. necrophorum was identified as the causative agent of this metastatic and fatal infection. This case has shown the severity of infection due to F. necrophorum and, at the same time, the underestimation of anaerobic bacteria in the spectrum of etiologic agents responsible for meningitis. Only a prompt diagnosis and an adequate treatment can improve the prognosis and avoid a fatal outcome.