Risk factors for Candida infections in a neonatal intensive care unit in Costa Rica.

OBJECTIVE: To identify potential risk factors associated with Candida infections and compare these risk factors between patients who both died and survived. STUDY DESIGN: A group of patients with positive Candida spp. blood cultures admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in Costa Rica between January 1994 and December 1998. Cases were identified through a computerized search of the microbiology laboratory's database on blood cultures. RESULTS: One hundred and ten newborns were identified. Sixty-six patients (60%) were male; 46 (62%) were preterm infants. Thirty-seven (34%) patients died. Twenty (54%) of them died within three days of the candidemia diagnosis and 17 had disseminated Candida infection on autopsy. Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis were isolated in 90% and 10% of blood cultures, respectively. Mean +/- SD (range) number of days from admission to NICU to the initial positive blood culture were 13.5 +/- 8.5 (1-30) days. Most patients had at least two positive blood cultures (range 1-8). Median (range) days for the sterilization of blood culture were four (1-25) days. Significant differences in survival were identified in patients with axillary-inguinal lesions, apnea and seizures. CONCLUSIONS: Invasive fungal infections are frequent in NICU. Future case-control prospective studies should be carried out to confirm the findings from this report.

Albendazole therapy for Microsporidium diarrhea in immunocompetent Costa Rican children.

BACKGROUND: Microsporidia comprise a large group of obligate intracellular parasites. Although several species have emerged as opportunistic agents in immunocompromised patients, cases have also been reported in immunocompetent patients. METHODS: During 21 months, we conducted a randomized, open label study in 200 children hospitalized with Microsporidium subacute diarrhea. Patients had prolonged, nonbloody, nonmucoid diarrhea, with > or =10 bowel movements/day for >10 days. Patients had negative rotavirus tests, bacterial stool cultures and sugar reductive tests in feces. Stool examinations to rule out Giardia intestinalis and intestinal nematodes were performed. Microsporidium was identified by light microscopy in stool specimens stained with Giemsa and Weber techniques. One hundred patients received oral albendazole (15 mg/kg/day twice a day for 7 days) and 100 patients received only supportive therapy. RESULTS: Both groups were comparable regarding gender, age, clinical evolution and weight. Median (range) age was 24 (6-36) months. All children had abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and anorexia. The primary endpoint, defined as clinical improvement within 48 h of initial therapy, occurred in 95 and 30% of the albendazole-treated and untreated patients, respectively (P < 0.05). There was a significant decrease in stool frequency, reduction of clinical findings and decrease in Microsporidium parasites in stool specimens of children treated with albendazole compared with the untreated group. Median (range) duration of diarrhea was 5 (3-7) days in albendazole-treated patients versus 10 (8-15) days in untreated patients (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Albendazole therapy was effective in improving the clinical manifestations and decreasing the duration of the illness of children with diarrhea caused by Microsporidium.

Toys in a pediatric hospital: are they a bacterial source?

BACKGROUND: In children's hospitals, children are commonly provided with toys. Measures to guarantee the safety of these toys are usually not taken. This study was conducted to determine whether toys were contaminated with potentially pathogenic bacteria when they arrived in the hospital, and whether they were contaminated in the hospital. METHODS: The study was conducted during a 3-month period. Children who were hospitalized for at least 3 days were chosen as study subjects. Once these children were identified, cultures from their toys were obtained within the first 48 hours of admission. After this first culture, toys were cleaned with 4% chlorhexidine and water and were immediately re-cultured. Following cultures were collected on days 5 to 7, 10 to 15, and every week thereafter until the owner-patient was discharged. Specimens were collected in a standardized manner with moistened swabs and placed in transport media. They were later inoculated onto trypticase soy agar with 5% sheep blood and brain heart infusion agar, incubated at 37 degrees C for 48 hours and examined for colony growth at 24 to 48 hours. RESULTS: Seventy children's toys were included in this study. Patients' median age was 26 months (range: 1 day to 9 years). Respiratory infections (43%) and diarrhea (26%) were the most common causes of hospitalization. Fifty-three (76%) toys were made of plastic, 8 (11%) metallic, and 9 (13%) other materials. Twenty-nine (41%) were brought from home, 38 (55%) were purchased from roving vendors, and 3 (4%) were purchased from toy stores. All first cultures were positive for at least 1 pathogenic microorganism: 55 (78%) coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS); 26 (37%) Bacillus spp; 13 (18%) Staphylococcus aureus; 8 (11%) alpha-hemolytic Streptococcus; 5 (9%), Pseudomonas spp; 2 (3%) Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and 6 (11%) other gram-negative organisms. After toys were cleaned, subsequent cultures showed significant decreases in bacterial growth rates (P <.05). Because some patients were discharged, additional cultures were obtained for only 31 toys. CONCLUSIONS: Toys entering a hospital can be contaminated with potentially dangerous bacteria and may provide unnecessary risks for nosocomial infection. Effective measures must be implemented to prevent the spread of infections via toys.

Ganciclovir therapy in cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in immunocompetent pediatric patients.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the outcome of immunocompetent pediatric patients who had positive cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigenemia and received ganciclovir. METHODS: A retrospective review was done of patients who had a CMV infection based on positive antigenemia. Medical charts were reviewed for the following information: age, sex, underlying disease, symptoms and signs, laboratory results, complementary diagnostic procedures, duration and dose of ganciclovir therapy, concomitant medications, complications, and outcome. RESULTS: Sixty-four patients with positive CMV antigenemia were identified; 15 patients were excluded from the study because of their underlying diseases. Of the remaining 49 patients, 26 (53%) were female; the median age was 11.5 months (range 0.3-132 months). Sixty-one percent (30/49) of these patients received ganciclovir (5-10 mg/kg/day) for a median of 14 days (range 7-42 days). Clinical findings included: fever, anemia, hepatomegaly, failure to thrive, elevated liver enzymes, splenomegaly, seizures, and thrombocytopenia. Sixty-three percent (19/30) of the treated patients had negative antigenemia at the end of therapy. CMV antigenemia remained positive in six (20%) patients. Nine patients received a second course of ganciclovir. CONCLUSIONS: Ganciclovir was effective in 80% of patients, as determined by negative antigenemia at the end of therapy.

Epidemiological observations of the judicious use of antibiotics in a pediatric teaching hospital.

OBJECTIVE: This study in a tertiary care teaching center with 361 beds was conducted to assess use, misuse, and abuse of antibiotics. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Every day of the study, a computer program was used to compile a list of patients' bedside records. On a specific day, the bedside charts of selected patients were reviewed to determine whether: (1) a justification for antibiotic prescription was recorded; (2) duration of antibiotic therapy had been defined; (3) suitable cultures had been obtained; and (4) treatment was appropriate for the infection to be treated. For 6 months, charts were evaluated 3 days per week. RESULTS: Of 750 bedside charts 500 (67%) were selected for review. Of the 500 patients, 175 (35%) did not receive antibiotics. The abuses or misuses of antibiotics most frequently observed among the 325 treated patients were no record of justification for the antibiotic prescribed (130/325, 40%); no appropriate blood or fluid samples obtained for culture (45/325, 14%); no subsequent control cultures or cultures obtained before modifying therapy (80/175, 46%); no indication of a planned duration of therapy (180/325, 55%); and improper dosage prescribed in relation to weight (25/325, 8%). Abuse or misuse of antibiotics was more frequently observed among surgical patients than among nonsurgical patients (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Rational use of antibiotics should be emphasized in every training program as a main strategy to control the increase in drug resistance and to prolong the usefulness of antibiotics.

Síndrome de Stevens-Johnson: experiencia del Hospital Nacional de Niños durante los últimos diez años / Stevens-Johnson syndrome: experience of Hospital Nacional de Niños during the 10 years

Objetivo: Conocer la experiencia del Hospital de Niños acerca del SSJ en los últimos 10 años. Revisar las recomendaciones en relación al manejo del SSJ. Métodos: Se realizó un análisis retrospectivo de los expedientes de los pacientes egresados con el diagnóstico de SSJ, de enero de 1987 a enero de 1997, analizando edad, sexo, procedencia, exposición previa a medicamentos, manifestaciones clínicas, complicaciones y tratamiento. Resultados: Durante 10 años, 26 pacientes fueron egresados del Hospital Nacional de Niños con el diagnóstico de SSJ. 69 por ciento (18/26) fueron varones. La mayoría de los niños provenía de San José. El promedio de edad fue de 5 años, con una mediana de 4 años, y una desviación estandar (DS) de +/- 3.6. La historia de exposición previa a medicamentos fue positiva en el 77 por ciento de los pacientes, siendo los antibióticos los más usados (50 por ciento), seguidos de los anticonvulsivantes (40 por ciento). 69 por ciento de los pacientes tenía historia previa de infección respiratoria superior. Se usaron esteroides en el 42 por ciento de los pacientes, en éstos la estancia hospitalaria fue 6 +/- 7 vrs 11 +/- 11.4. días en aquellos que no los recibieron, p=0.01. Las complicaciones fueron menos frecuentes en el grupo que recibió esteroides (9 por ciento), comparado con el que no recibió esteroides (33 por ciento), p=0.1. No se reportaron muertes por esta patología. Conclusiones: El diagnóstico y particularmente el uso de esteroides en el manejo de pacientes con SSJ es controversial. En esta enfermedad la muerte puede ocurrir debido a varias causas, entre ellas la infección secundaria y el daño visceral. En esta serie, los esteroides parecieron ser benéficos, sin embargo, son necesarios estudios controlados, para establecer su verdadera unidad

Schawannoma maligno epitelioide / Malignant epithelioid schawannoma

Presentamos 4 casos de Schawannoma maligno epitelioide, una rara neoplasia de nervios periféricos. Las edades de aparición oscilan entre 12 y 82 años con predominio masculino (3 casos) sobre muy infrecuente. Su pronóstico es muy ominoso, con menor sobrevida (15 a 20% en 5 años) para aquellos casos asociados con enfermedad de Von Recklinghausen, y mejor para aquellos con tumores menores de 5 cm localizados en porciones distales de extremidades (50 a 75%)

Metástasis en el bazo: frecuencia en 10.749 autopsias / Metastasis of the spleen:frecuency in 10.749 autopsys

Se estudiaron 10.749 autopsias durante el período de 1985 a 1988, donde se demostraron 11 casos de metástasis en el bazo. Eliminando las enfermedades linfoproliferativas, la incidencia fue de 0,1%. Las formas macroscópicas de nódulos múltiples los tumores epiteliales y los tipos histológicos, indiferenciados de los mismos, dominaron la frecuencia

Factores involucrados en la translocación bacteriana en un modelo experimental de obstrucción intestinal / Involucrate factors in bacterial translocation in a experimental model of intestinal obstruction

Se deseño un modelo experimental de obstrucción intestinal (OI) a fin de estudiar las alteraciones histológicas a nivel de la pared intestinal y nódulos linfáticos mesntéricos (NLM). Para tal efecto se utilizaron 32 ratas Sprague-Darley las cuales bajo anestesia con tiopental sódico les fue practicada una laparotomía + ligadura del íleon con seda 3-0 causando oclusión completa de su luz. A diferentes intervalos de producirse la OI (24, 48, 72 y 96 horas), posterior a su sacrificio mediante dislocación cervical se analizaron histológicamete los diferentes grupos. A las 24 horas post OI se apreció congestión y edema de la pared intestinal, presencia de infiltrado celular inflamatorio a nivel de la lámina propia y reactividad de los NLM. A las 48 horas se incrementó el edema y la congestión, se evidenció fragmentación de la mucosa y translocación fragmentación de la mucosa y translocacióy translocación de bacterias a través de ella, las cuales alcanzaron los nódulos linfáticos de la pared. A nivel de los NLM la histiocitosis era mayor. La constatación de TB en la OI amplía aún más el conjunto de alteraciones observadas en esta patología donde no sólo se produce la absorción de productos tóxicos y endotoxinas a nivel del segmento comprometimento y que pudiesen explicar la bacteriemia y la sepsis en este tipo de pacientes