Year-Round, Routine Testing of Multiple Body Site Specimens for Human Parechovirus in Young Febrile Infants.

OBJECTIVES: To test our hypothesis that routine year-round testing of specimens from multiple body sites and genotyping of detected virus would describe seasonal changes, increase diagnostic yield, and provide a better definition of clinical manifestations of human parechovirus (PeV-A) infections in young febrile infants. STUDY DESIGN: PeV-A reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis was incorporated in routine evaluation of infants aged ≤60 days hospitalized at Nationwide Children's Hospital for fever and/or suspected sepsis-like syndrome beginning in July 2013. We reviewed electronic medical records of infants who tested positive for PeV-A between July 2013 and September 2016. Genotyping was performed with specific type 3 RT-PCR and sequencing. RESULTS: Of 1475 infants evaluated, 130 (9%) tested positive for PeV-A in 1 or more sites: 100 (77%) in blood, 84 (65%) in a nonsterile site, and 53 (41%) in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Five infants (4%) were CSF-only positive, 31 (24%) were blood-only positive, and 20 (15%) were nonsterile site-only positive. PeV-A3 was the most common type (85%) and the only type detected in CSF. Although the majority (79%) of infections were diagnosed between July and December, PeV-A was detected year-round. The median age at detection was 29 days. Fever (96%), fussiness (75%), and lymphopenia (56%) were common. Among infants with PeV-A-positive CSF, 77% had no CSF pleocytosis. The median duration of hospitalization was 41 hours. Four infants had bacterial coinfections diagnosed within 24 hours of admission; 40 infants had viral coinfections. CONCLUSIONS: Although most frequent in summer and fall, PeV-A infections were encountered in every calendar month within the 3-year period of study. More than one-half of patients had PeV-A detected at more than 1 body site. Coinfections were common. PeV-A3 was the most common type identified and the only type detected in the CSF.

Tinea faciei caused by Trichophyton benhamiae in a child.

Tinea faciei is a common pediatric skin disease, most often caused by fungi of the genus Trichophyton. T benhamiae has been recently reclassified as a distinct species and is recognized as an emerging zoonotic dermatophyte with a wide range of possible infectious reservoirs worldwide. We present a previously healthy 7-year-old child presenting with unusual inflammatory facial plaques due to T benhamiae, confirmed by mass spectroscopy.

Clinical and Radiologic Manifestations of Bone Infection in Children with Cat Scratch Disease.

We identified 13 patients with cat scratch (Bartonella henselae) bone infection among those admitted to a large tertiary care children's hospital over a 12-year period. The median age was 7 years and the median time from onset of illness to diagnosis was 10 days. Multifocal osteomyelitis involving spine and pelvis was common; no patient had a lytic bone lesion. Median treatment duration was 28 days (IQR, 24.5 days). Despite significant variations in treatment duration and antimicrobial therapy choices, all patients showed improvement.

Calcineurin inhibitor treatment of intravenous immunoglobulin-resistant Kawasaki disease.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical course and outcome of 10 patients with Kawasaki disease (KD) treated with a calcineurin inhibitor after failing to respond to multiple therapies. STUDY DESIGN: Demographic and clinical data were prospectively collected using standardized case report forms. T-cell phenotypes were determined by flow cytometry, and KD risk alleles in ITPKC (rs28493229), CASP3 (rs72689236), and FCGR2A (rs1801274) were genotyped. RESULTS: Intravenous followed by oral therapy with cyclosporine (CSA) or oral tacrolimus was well tolerated and resulted in defervescence and resolution of inflammation in all 10 patients. There were no serious adverse events, and a standardized treatment protocol was developed based on our experiences with this patient population. Analysis of T-cell phenotype by flow cytometry in 2 subjects showed a decrease in circulating activated CD8(+) and CD4(+) T effector memory cells after treatment with CSA. However, suppression of regulatory T-cells was not seen, suggesting targeting of specific, proinflammatory T-cell compartments by CSA. CONCLUSION: Treatment of refractory KD with a calcineurin inhibitor appears to be a safe and effective approach that achieves rapid control of inflammation associated with clinical improvement.