Características clínicas y microbiológicas de las infecciones de piel y tejidos blandos por Staphylococcus aureus en niños de un hospital en Medellín durante los años 2013 a 2015 / Clinical and microbiological characteristics of skin and soft tissue infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus in children in a hospital in Medellin from 2013 to 2015

Resumen Introducción: El principal microorganismo implicado en las infecciones de piel y tejidos blandos (IPTB) es Staphylococcus aureus, con incremento en las cepas resistentes a meticilina en los últimos años. Objetivo: Identificar la frecuencia de S. aureus resistente a meticilina (SARM) en IPTB en niños que consultaron a un hospital de cuarto nivel en la ciudad de Medellín. Métodos: Estudio descriptivo, retrospectivo, a partir de la revisión de historias clínicas. Se incluyeron pacientes menores de 18 años con IPTB causadas por S. aureus que no cumplieran con criterios de enfermedad invasora. Resultados: La prevalencia de SARM en esta población fue de 31%. El principal diagnóstico fue absceso cutáneo (68%), seguido por infección de sitio quirúrgico (15%) y celulitis no purulenta (6%). Tenían alguna co-morbilidad 85% de los pacientes. Todos los aislados fueron sensibles a rifampicina y cotrimoxazol. Ocho por ciento de los aislados fueron resistentes a clindamicina. Se encontró mayor prevalencia de SARM en lactantes comparado con los mayores de 2 años (60 vs 23%, p = 0,0109). Conclusión: Ante la alta prevalencia de SARM en IPTB se recomienda incluir en el tratamiento empírico antimicrobianos con cobertura para estas cepas, principalmente para lactantes.

Background: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) are very common in children and Staphylococcus aureus is the main agent, with an increase of methicillin resistant strains (MRSA) in recent years. Aim: To identify the frequency of MRSA in skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) in children from a high complex hospital in Medellin, Colombia. Methods: This is a descriptive, retrospective study, information was obtained from medical records. We included patients younger than 18 years with SSTI due to S. aureus who did not meet criteria for invasive disease. Results: The prevalence of MRSA in this population was 31%. The main diagnosis was cutaneous abscess (68%), followed by surgical site infection (15%) and non-purulent cellulitis (6%). Eighty five percent of the patients had at least 1 comorbidity. All isolates were sensitive to rifampicin and cotrimoxazole and 8% of the isolates were resistant to clindamycin. There was a higher prevalence of MRSA in patients under 2 years compared to older (60 vs 23%, p = 0,0109). Conclusion: In view of the high prevalence of MRSA in SSTI, empirical treatment with adequate coverage for MRSA is recommended, especially for patients under 2 years of age.

[Clinical and microbiological characteristics of skin and soft tissue infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus in children in a hospital in Medellin from 2013 to 2015]. / Características clínicas y microbiológicas de las infecciones de piel y tejidos blandos por Staphylococcus aureus en niños de un hospital en Medellín durante los años 2013 a 2015.

BACKGROUND: Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) are very common in children and Staphylococcus aureus is the main agent, with an increase of methicillin resistant strains (MRSA) in recent years. AIM: To identify the frequency of MRSA in skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) in children from a high complex hospital in Medellin, Colombia. METHODS: This is a descriptive, retrospective study, information was obtained from medical records. We included patients younger than 18 years with SSTI due to S. aureus who did not meet criteria for invasive disease. RESULTS: The prevalence of MRSA in this population was 31%. The main diagnosis was cutaneous abscess (68%), followed by surgical site infection (15%) and non-purulent cellulitis (6%). Eighty five percent of the patients had at least 1 comorbidity. All isolates were sensitive to rifampicin and cotrimoxazole and 8% of the isolates were resistant to clindamycin. There was a higher prevalence of MRSA in patients under 2 years compared to older (60 vs 23%, p = 0,0109). CONCLUSION: In view of the high prevalence of MRSA in SSTI, empirical treatment with adequate coverage for MRSA is recommended, especially for patients under 2 years of age.

PP113. NT-Pro-BNP: A predictor of adverse maternal outcomes in hypertensive gestational syndromes?

INTRODUCTION: BNP (brain-type natriuretic peptide) is released by cardiomyocytes, as a pro-hormone, in response to parietal stress augmentation and systemic endothelial dysfunction, and then Pro-BNP is cleaved into: NT-Pro-BNP and BNP fragment in 1:1 ratio. BNP is considered an important component of the adaptative mechanism that helps to reduce the load on the myocardium, through systemic vasodilatation, reduction in venous return and reduction in vascular volume. Hypertensive Gestational Syndromes (HGS) are considered to share those mechanisms, but the role of NT-Pro-BNP to evaluate maternal outcomes, is not well defined. OBJECTIVES: Evaluate the correlation between NT-Pro-BNP: in Normotensive Pregnant Women (NPW) and HGS with established markers of adverse maternal outcomes in HGS. METHODS: We performed a transversal case-control study to analyze NT-Pro-BNP in 68 patients with HGS vs 80 NPW admitted at a private hospital, and to evaluate its correlation with established clinical and blood markers of maternal outcomes at hospital admission. Patients with renal chronic failure, previous cardiac disease and mola were excluded. We used the Pearson and Kendall correlation test for quantitative variables and the non-parametrical Mann-Whitney test for qualitative variables. RESULTS: The average maternal age was: NPW 33.2 years, HGS 33.8 years; average gestational age at delivery: NPW 38.5 weeks, HGS 35.3 weeks; first pregnancy: NPW 36%, HGS 56%; birth average weight: NPW 3351.6g, HGS 2615.5g; media NT-Pro-BNP: NPW 59.7pg/ml, HGS 704.8pg/ml. None of the NPW had high levels of NT-Pro-BNP. In the HGS group: 57% had preeclampsia, 10% HELLP, 25% gestational hypertension and 8% chronic hypertension. In the HGS media values for: proteinuria 1.5g/24h, glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase 86 UI/L, platelets 231,688/mm(3), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase 100 UI/L, uric acid 48mg/dl, hematocrit 33%, alkaline phosphatase 152 UI/L, lactic dehydrogenase 284 UI/L. In the HGS the following significant correlations were found: for NT-Pro-BNP relation to: proteinuria (0.34 p=0.001), glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase (0.375 p=0.001), platelets (-0.353 p=0.001), glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (0.317 p=0.001), uric acid (0.398 p=0.001), hematocrit (-0.183 p=0.048), gestational age at delivery (-0.29 p=0.002), birth average weight (-0.23 p=0.018), cardiac failure ( p=0.001), number of used anti-hypertensive drugs (0.367 p=0.004), lactic dehydrogenase (0.65 p=0.001). The media NT-Pro-BNP was: 936pg/ml in preeclampsia , 1909pg/ml in HELLP, 150pg/ml in gestational hypertension and 107pg/ml in chronic hypertension. The highest NT-Pro-BNP level was 12,386pg/ml in a patient with systolic dysfunction (LVEF: 35%) associated with preeclampsia. After delivery, 13% HGS women had persistent hypertension post-partum, and this did not correlate with the level of NT-Pro-BNP at hospital admission. CONCLUSION: NT-Pro-BNP significantly correlates with established markers of adverse maternal outcomes in HGS, probing to be useful in routine maternal evaluation in this setting.

[Risk factors for myringoplasty failure]. / Factores de riesgo en el fracaso de la miringoplastía.

OBJECTIVE: Identify risk factors associated with failures in myringoplasty. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 290 cases were reviewed in the period of july 1997 to march 1999. An analysis of cases and controls was performed. RESULTS: The 290 myringoplasties were analyzed. The minimum period of follow-up was: 6 months. The estimated surgical success was 82.1%, and 17.9% of the cases were considered as a failure. There were no risk factors found statistically significant to the variables: age, sex, schooling or occupation of the patient, tobacco usage, alcoholism and associated illnesses; prior nasal or otological surgery or cause of the perforation nor evolution time whether or not it was a resident doctor who performed the surgery. These results are not definitive since the intervals of confidence were ample in the majority of these variables, which can be attributed to the size of the sample group. The significant risk variables found were: size of perforation greater than 40%, marginal localization of the perforation; tympanosclerosis, scar tissue and cholesteatoma. CONCLUSIONS: The risk factors in the myringoplasty failure are similar to those reported in diverse studies. The variables highly significant for failure are details that should be watched in the technique.

Antipyretic effects of dipyrone versus ibuprofen versus acetaminophen in children: results of a multinational, randomized, modified double-blind study.

This study compared the antipyretic effectiveness of acetaminophen, ibuprofen, and dipyrone in young children with fever. The results were based on a modified double-blind, randomized, multinational trial that evaluated 628 febrile children, aged 6 months to 6 years. All three drugs lowered temperature in the 555 patients completing the study. Temperature normalization rates in the ibuprofen and dipyrone groups (78% and 82%, respectively) were significantly higher than the acetaminophen group (68%, P = 0.004). After 4 to 6 hours, mean temperature in the dipyrone group was significantly lower than the other groups, demonstrating longer temperature normalization with dipyrone. All three drugs showed comparable tolerability profiles.

[Epidemiologic aspects of Haemophilus influenzae type b infection]. / Aspectos epidemiológicos da infecção por Haemophilus influenzae tipo b.

This paper reviews the role of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) as one of the most important pathogens causing invasive infectious diseases, especially in the first 2 years of life. In developing countries H. influenzae is responsible for 30% of all pneumonia cases with positive cultures and for 20% to 60% of all bacterial meningitis cases. In this study we compared Brazilian and international epidemiologic data obtained from several bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, 1966 to 1995; LILACS, 1982 to 1995; Thesis Databank, 1980 to 1995; and Dissertation Abstracts, 1988 to 1994). The incidence of Hib infection in Brazil was analyzed for individual states and for different ages, including within the first year of life. Meningitis cases were used as an incidence marker because of the difficulty in identifying the causative organism in such other infections as pneumonia, osteomyelitis, epiglottitis, cellulitis, and endocarditis. Our analysis showed that the nationwide Brazilian data masked the regional incidence and lethality of H. influenzae. For example, in 1991 the national incidence was 18.4 per 100,000 children under 1 year of age. In the same period, the Federal District had an incidence of 175 per 100,000 among children between 4 and 6 months of age. Similarly, the North of Brazil had a 35% case fatality rate in 1987, whereas the rate was 22% for Brazil as a whole. This study raises issues concerning the relevant epidemiologic factors associated with Hib infection and the costs and benefits of prophylaxis and vaccination in the age groups most at risk.

[Thrombocytopenic purpura after hepatitis B vaccine] / Púrpura trombocitopênica após vacina de hepatite B.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate a case of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura after hepatitis B vaccine and drive attention to this possible relation when other causes have been excluded.METHODS: Description of a case of a patient who was 1 month and 16 days old and presented petechiae and ecchymoses one week before she entered the Emergency Room of the Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade de São Paulo. Other causes beyond Hepatitis B vaccine, received one month before the hemorrhagic state, were ruled out with the history and laboratory exams. A review of the literature about PTI revealed case reports of the disease connected with Hepatitis B vaccine administration.RESULTS: The vaccine was considered the probable cause. The child was treated with intravenous immunoglobulin, improving from thrombocytopenia after three days, and remaining without symptoms during one month of follow up.CONCLUSION: The thrombocytopenic purpura after hepatitis B vaccine is a rare event whose causal relation is hard to prove. The diagnosis is based on the exclusion of other possible causes, but in this case, the hypothesis may be considered since new cases are being reported in the literature.

Respiratory syncytial virus infection in infants is associated with predominant Th-2-like response.

Viral infections have been associated with cellular immune responses and production of Th-1 cytokines. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), however, induces virus-specific IgE, which might be a consequence of a Th-2-like activation. To test this hypothesis we quantified interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) in the supernatant of peripheral blood mononuclear cells cultured for 24 and 48 h in the presence or absence of phytohemaglutinin and pokeweed mitogen and the lymphocyte phenotypes to analyze subsets and their activation markers, from 15 hospitalized infants during an acute lower respiratory infection caused by RSV and 17 healthy control infants from 1 to 15 mo of age. Compared with the control infants, those infected with RSV had an increase in the number of B-cells (p < 0.02) and decreases in both CD8+ T-cells (p < 0.01) and activated CD8+/CD25+ suppressor/ cytotoxic T-cells (p < 0.007). In RSV-infected infants, IFN-gamma production was subtotally suppressed, whereas IL-4 production was decreased to a lesser degree, giving significantly (p < 0.001) increased IL-4/IFN-gamma ratio compared with that in the control infants. These findings suggest a predominant Th-z-like response in RSV-infected infants, which could explain some aspects of the immunopathogenesis of RSV infection and the RSV-specific and nonspecific IgE antibody responses observed.

Primary community-acquired pneumonia by Escherichia coli. Case report and review of the literature.

A two year old girl with chronic neurologic convulsive disease was admitted with a six day history of pneumonia and, despite treatment, died on hospital day 3. The X-ray revealed right upper lobar pneumonia. The results of pleural effusion and blood cultures drawn on admission yielded a non-typable Escherichia coli. No other source of infection was identified. The authors discuss the clinical and pathophysiological aspects of Escherichia coli pneumonia.

[Necrotizing tracheobronchitis in an infant]. / Traqueobronquite necrotisante: relato de um caso em lactente.

OBJECTIVE: To alert the pediatric emergency physician about an unusual cause of airways obstruction in children undergoing mechanical ventilation. METHODS: We report a case of necrotizing tracheobronchitis (NTB) in an 8-month-old boy and discuss the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of this disease. RESULTS: This child presented a good outcome that was related to prompt diagnosis and treatment with bronchoscopic removal of necrotic tissue. CONCLUSIONS: The pediatric emergency physician must consider NTB in every children undergoing mechanical ventilation who presents acute episodes of airways obstruction, hypercarbia, lack of chest movement and pulmonary hyperinflation, even out of the perinatal period. This characteristic clinical presentation, when recognized, is an indication for emergency tracheobronchoscopy.

[Septicaemia caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae--a review of 28 cases]. / Sepse por Klebsiella pneumoniae--revisão de 28 casos.

Twenty-eight children with septicaemia and positive blood cultures for Klebsiella pneumoniae were retrospectively studied and compared with 190 children with sepsis caused by other organisms, identified or not in blood cultures. Septicaemia due to Klebsiella pneumoniae occurred more frequently in children older than 2 years of age, especially those who had an underlying disease and, therefore, were malnourished or had an impaired immune defense system that had required invasive procedures and previous hospitalization. Although the case fatality rate was high in both groups, Klebsiella pneumoniae did not contribute to elevate the relative risk of death. In this study, Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates were highly sensitive to colistin (92.9%) and cefoxitin (82.1%), but poorly sensitive to third generation cephalosporin and imipenen.

[Rotavirus, adenovirus, astrovirus, calicivirus and small round virus particles in feces of children with and without acute diarrhea, from 1987 to 1988, in the greater São Paulo]. / Rotavírus, adenovírus, astrovírus, calicivírus e "small round virus particles" em fezes de crianças, com e sem diarréia aguda, no período de 1987 a 1988, na grande São Paulo.

Between 1987 and 1988, 193 faecal specimens from children, with or without diarrhea, were submitted to enzyme immunoassay, polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis and electronmicroscopy tests for virus detection. The positivity for Rotavirus, Adenovirus, Astrovirus, Calicivirus and Small Round Virus Particles (SRVP) was 11.3%, 3.1%, 2.1%, 1.0% and 4.1%, respectively, for the 97 children with acute diarrhea. Of the 96 children without diarrhea, 4.2% were positive for Rotavirus, 1.0% for Calicivirus and 7.3% for SRVP. Of 15 positive specimens for Rotavirus, 14 showed electrophoretic patterns proper to group A and 1 specimen of group C Rotavirus. The analysis of electrophorotypes demonstrated great heterogeneity of electrophoretic patterns and predominance of subgroup 2, "long". The association of virus, bacteria and parasites was present both in children with or without acute diarrhea.

[Cryptosporidium parasitism in children with acute diarrhea]. / Parasitismo por Cryptosporidium sp. em crianças com diarréia aguda.

During the period from August 1987 to July 1990, 241 fecal samples collected from 1 to 48 months old children with acute diarrhea and examined in the Child's Institute of Hospital das Clínicas of Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, were submitted to parasitological tests in the Enteroparasitosis Section of the Instituto Adolfo Lutz. Fourty two (17.43%) fecal samples showed Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts by carbol-fucsin stain. Parasitism by Cryptosporidium sp. was more frequent during the period comprised from March to May, in the studied three years. The authors discussed the Cryptosporidium sp. in association with other agents.

[Etiology of lower respiratory infections in hospitalized infants]. / Etiología de las infecciones respiratorias bajas agudas en lactantes hospitalizados.

As a contribution to knowledge about the etiology of lower respiratory tract infections (LRI) in infants, 235 patients aged one year or less admitted to a children's hospital at northern metropolitan area of Santiago, Chile along years 1987 throughout 1989 with radiologically confirmed diagnosis were studied. Infants were eligible only if their symptoms lasted for not more than five days and their hospital stay was less than two days. Controls consisted on 74 healthy infants. A search for presumptive etiology was done by means of usual bacteriological procedures (pharyngeal swabs and blood cultures), plus latex test for type b Haemophilus influenzae (Hib) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) in concentrated urine specimens; indirect immunofluorescence (IF) for specific Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) IgM; serological tests, isolation and IF in pharyngeal aspirates for syncytial respiratory virus (SRV), influenza, parainfluenzae and adenoviruses were also used. Evidence of viral infection was detected from 135/235 (57.5%) of cases and 21/74 (28.3%) controls, SRV being the most common. From 18/119 and 2/119 studied patients Hib and SP antigens were respectively detected, but urinary antigens were also present in 6/24 controls, raising questions about this test's specificity. IF titers of 1:32 or higher for CT were found in 5/80 patients, all younger than 5 months. It was possible to perform the whole set of available methods in 80 patients, in 70% of which some evidence of a known etiologic agent was found. Serology alone gave etiological clues in only 30% of these cases and usual microbiological cultures of throat swabs and blood from none of them. No combinations of age, fever, respiratory rate, apnea, bronchial obstructive syndrome, white blood cell counts over 15,000 or of band forms over 500 per cu mm, erythrocyte sedimentation rates, reactive C protein and x-ray findings allowed differential diagnosis between presumptive bacterial or viral etiology, except in one case of an infant presenting with pleural effusion and positive antigenuria for Hib.

[Etiology of acute infections of the lower respiratory tract in hospitalized infants: bacterial antigens]. / Etiología de las infecciones agudas del tracto respiratorio bajo en lactantes hospitalizados: antígenos bacterianos.

Demonstration of bacterial antigens in biological fluids has been used for early detection of bacterial infections. Recent evidence suggests that higher detection rates of these antigens can be obtained from concentrated urine than from serum samples of patients. Evidence of bacterial infection by antigen detection was looked for from 50 fold concentrated urine samples by means of an ultrafilter system (Minicom) and latex agglutination for Haemophilus influenzae B (HiB) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (Sp) in three groups of patients. Group A (Positive controls), included 7 patients whose blood culture were positive for HiB (n = 5) and Sp (n = 2). Group B (Healthy controls) involved 16 children without clinical and laboratory signs of infection, coming from ambulatory well baby clinics and surgical wards, and group C was formed by 77 patients with negative blood cultures but with clinical and X ray evidence of lower respiratory tract infection. The corresponding antigen was demonstrated in urine samples from all group A patients. Three group B subjects gave positive results for HiB antigen. HiB antigen was detected from 10 and Sp antigen from 2 group C patients. These results suggest that the search for bacterial antigens in urine would be useful for etiological diagnosis and management of patients with bacterial pneumoniae. There is no definite explanation for the finding of HiB antigen in urine from apparently healthy children but the possibility of previous or actual asymptomatic infections must be taken into account.