COVID-19 related multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C): a case series from a tertiary care pediatric hospital in Qatar.

BACKGROUND: Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) is a severe complication of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children, which is increasingly being reported worldwide. Here we report the first case series of 7 children diagnosed with MIS-C in Qatar. METHODS: Clinical features and outcomes of COVID-19 positive patients admitted to Sidra Medicine, Qatar from June to October 2020, who met the WHO case definition for MIS-C were reviewed. RESULTS: The mean age in our case series was 5.6 years, of which 71.4% were males. All patients were previously healthy but had a history of COVID-19 infection. Fever, rash, vomiting and abdominal pain were the most common symptoms (70-100%). The average hospitalization was 12.9 days with no case fatalities. Laboratory findings included lymphopenia and thrombocytopenia in most patients, as well as evidence of coagulopathy and elevated inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein, ferritin and procalcitonin. Many patients (71.4%) required inotropic support in intensive care, while only one required respiratory support. Although all patients had elevated cardiac biomarkers, cardiovascular involvement was observed in 42.9% of patients with one patient developing a giant coronary aneurysm. All patients received intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and 86% of patients received corticosteroids, with two patients requiring treatment with IL-1 inhibitors. CONCLUSIONS: Our report is one of the first reports on MIS-C from Asia. Although clinical features and outcomes are not significantly different from those reported elsewhere, lack of case fatalities in our cohort may indicate that early recognition and prompt medical attention is necessary for a favorable outcome in MIS-C.

A metagenomics-based diagnostic approach for central nervous system infections in hospital acute care setting.

The etiology of central nervous system (CNS) infections such as meningitis and encephalitis remains unknown in a large proportion of cases partly because the diversity of pathogens that may cause CNS infections greatly outnumber available test methods. We developed a metagenomic next generation sequencing (mNGS)-based approach for broad-range detection of pathogens associated with CNS infections suitable for application in the acute care hospital setting. The analytical sensitivity of mNGS performed on an Illumina MiSeq was assessed using simulated cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) specimens (n = 9). mNGS data were then used as a training dataset to optimize a bioinformatics workflow based on the IDseq pipeline. For clinical validation, residual CSF specimens (n = 74) from patients with suspected CNS infections previously tested by culture and/or PCR, were analyzed by mNGS. In simulated specimens, the NGS reads aligned to pathogen genomes in IDseq were correlated to qPCR CT values for the respective pathogens (R = 0.96; p < 0.0001), and the results were highly specific for the spiked pathogens. In clinical samples, the diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of the mNGS with reference to conventional methods were 100%, 95% and 96%, respectively. The clinical application of mNGS holds promise to benefit patients with CNS infections of unknown etiology.

Unusual accumulation of a wide array of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in a patient with cytomegalovirus-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Infections with multidrug-resistant organisms (MDRO) pose a serious threat to patients with dysregulated immunity such as in hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), but such infections have rarely been comprehensively characterized. Here, we present a fatal case of HLH secondary to cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection complicated by both anti-viral drug resistance and sepsis from multiple MDROs including pandrug-resistant superbug bacteria. CASE PRESENTATION: A previously healthy, six-year-old boy presented with a 45-day history of fever prior to a diagnosis of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and hemorrhagic colitis, both associated with CMV. On hospital admission, the patient was found to be colonized with multiple, multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria including vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and carbapenamase-producing organisms (CPO). He eventually developed respiratory, urine and bloodstream infections with highly drug-resistant, including pandrug-resistant bacteria, which could not be controlled by antibiotic treatment. Antiviral therapy also failed to contain his CMV infection and the patient succumbed to overwhelming bacterial and viral infection. Whole genome sequencing (WGS) of the MDR bacteria and metagenomic analysis of his blood sample revealed an unusual accumulation of a wide range of antimicrobial resistance mechanisms in a single patient, including antiviral resistance to ganciclovir, and resistance mechanisms to all currently available antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: The case highlights both the risk of acquiring MDR superbugs and the severity of these infections in HLH patients.