Prospective, randomized, investigator-blinded study of the efficacy and safety of meropenem vs. cefotaxime therapy in bacterial meningitis in children. Meropenem Meningitis Study Group.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy and safety of meropenem with cefotaxime for the treatment of infants and children with bacterial meningitis. METHODS: Infants and children with strongly suspected or documented bacterial meningitis were randomly assigned in a prospective multicenter study to receive either meropenem or cefotaxime. Patients were assessed at the end of therapy and at 5 to 7 weeks and 5 to 7 months after the end of treatment for the presence of neurologic and sensory neural sequelae. RESULTS: A total of 258 children were randomized to either treatment group. A further 8 patients with suspected pneumococcal meningitis were treated with meropenem without randomization. Of the randomized patients 154 were fully evaluable, 79 in the meropenem group and 75 in the cefotaxime group. At the end of treatment there were no significant differences in clinical outcome between the two treatment groups. Clinical cure with or without sequelae was achieved in 97 and 96% of the meropenem- and cefotaxime-treated patients, respectively. At the end of treatment and at 5 to 7 weeks, 46 and 54% of meropenem patients were cured with no sequelae, respectively. Corresponding results for cefotaxime patients were 56 and 58%. All pathogens were eradicated. In total 37 patients had seizures during treatment, 15 (12%) in the meropenem and 22 (17%) in the cefotaxime group. None of the seizures was considered to be drug-related. CONCLUSIONS: This trial shows that meropenem is suitable therapy for bacterial meningitis in infants and children and that it offers an efficacy and safety profile similar to that of cefotaxime.

The epidemiology of Haemophilus influenzae type b carriage among infants and young children in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

BACKGROUND: Whether herd immunity will occur with widespread Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccination in developing countries is dependent on whether the vaccines are capable of reducing carriage in these settings. However, few population-based studies of Hib carriage in developing countries exist. METHODS: To study Hib carriage in the Dominican Republic, we collected nasopharyngeal swab specimens from a population-based sample of 983 children 0 to 47 months old in a periurban area of Santo Domingo. RESULTS: Nasopharyngeal swabs of 76 (7.7%) children were positive for Hib. Hib carriage varied by age group with a low of 1.5% among 0 to 5 month olds, a peak of 12.5% in 6 to 11 month olds and prevalence rates of 6.0, 7.9 and 9.8% among 1-, 2- and 3-year-olds, respectively. Hib carriage was 51% lower among currently breast-fed 6 to 11 month olds than among those not currently breast-fed (18.2% vs. 9.0%; P=0.08). CONCLUSIONS: Infants and young children in Santo Domingo have high rates of Hib carriage, characterized by an early peak in carriage that corresponds with the peak of risk for Hib meningitis. The ability of Hib vaccines to diminish carriage to levels that will effectively reduce transmission and lead to herd immunity in this setting needs to be determined.

[Incidence of measles with complications]. / Incidencia de sarampion complicado.

PIP: Measles is caused by a virus which exclusively affects humans. Erroneously it has been considered benign, although it causes high morbidity and mortality because of the complications it precipitates. The Expanded Program of Immunization estimated that 1.5 million children in the world die every year because of measles. The objective was to analyze the incidence of measles and complicated measles in children who had been admitted to Dr. Robert Reid Cabral Pediatric Clinic, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, during the period of January 1991 to January 1992. A total of 311 patients were enrolled with the diagnosis of measles during the 13 months of the study, with an average of 24 cases per month. October and December were the months when most patients presented with measles: respectively, 56 (18%) and 60 (19.4%) patients of the total caseload. Pneumonia was the most frequent complication with 277 cases (87.1%), followed by acute diarrheal disease with 25 cases (8.0%). The most affected was the 1-3 year age group with 143 patients (46.0%). In 135 cases (43.4%) the children with measles had not been vaccinated; only 72 patients (23.3%) had received vaccination. Furthermore, 104 patients (33.3%) did not know their vaccination history. 170 patients (54.7%) were malnourished. During the study period 37 children (11.9%) died in the hospital and 24 of these children (64.9%) died as a result of the complication of pneumonia. Other causes of death were: laryngotracheitis (4), encephalitis (3), subcutaneous emphysema (4), and septicemia (2). This investigation showed that pneumonia is a very grave complication in malnourished children and in children under one year of age.^ieng

[Human immunodeficiency virus and hepatitis B virus in children transfused in the Dr. Luis Manuel Morillo King Hospital]. / Virus de inmunodeficiencia humana y hepatitis B en ninos transfundidos en el Hospital "Dr. Luis Manuel Morillo King".

PIP: The archives of the blood bank of the hospital of Dr. Louis Manual Morillo King, in the city of La Vega, Dominican Republic, were reviewed to identify all children who had been given blood transfusion during the period of July 1983 to July 1987 in order to identify HIV and the surface antigen of hepatitis B (HBsAg). Those who were released were visited in their homes for administration of HIV and hepatitis tests. Positive tests were confirmed by another test (AUSYME MONOCLONAL and Western Blot). Mothers were also tested to detect vertical transmission. 256 patients had been transfused, of whom 61 died. 80 of the 195 remaining patients could not be located. Of the 115 patients located, 52 had died in their homes after release from the hospital. Thus, the sample comprised 63 patients: 36 were 0-3 years old, 21 were 4-7 years old, and 6 were 8-11 years old. 50 lived in rural and 13 in urban areas. 56 patients had one transfusion and 4 had two transfusions. 28 patients had transfusion for anemia, 19 for malnutrition, 7 for sepsis, 6 for various reasons (meningitis, pleuritis, pneumonia), and 3 for sickle cell disease. 47 patients had been transfused at the hospital using the blood bank, 13 used blood from relatives, and 3 received blood from friends. Out of the 63 samples processed, 2 patients presented seropositivity for hepatitis B, while none were seropositive for HIV. Among the 2 patients who were seropositive for hepatitis B, the mother of one of them was also seropositive.^ieng