Advanced Practice Providers in Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) are a rapidly growing segment of the pediatric infectious diseases workforce. APPs offer many advantages to divisions that are struggling to counter a smaller fellowship applicant pool and faculty workforce transitions as a result of the pandemic. Many divisions still have yet to incorporate APPs into their inpatient or outpatient teams. This review will discuss the diverse pool of APPs, summarize how APPs are currently being used in the field, discuss the financial considerations of hiring APPs, and highlight future needs for embracing APPs as critical members of the pediatric ID workforce.

Cytomegalovirus retinitis and immune recovery uveitis in a pediatric patient with leukemia.

Immune recovery uveitis (IRU) is an ocular form of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, which is rare in the pediatric population. We report a case of IRU in an 11-year-old girl with a history of cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis in the setting of acute leukemia, who developed uveitis, vitritis, retinitis, and vasculitis during immune reconstitution. She was found to have negative CMV antigenemia, and the disease occurred during concurrent systemic antiviral therapy. Anterior chamber tap confirmed the absence of the CMV in the eye, and recurrent blood samples continued to reveal absent CMV viral particles systemically while her lymphocyte count was steadily increasing. The patient responded to oral steroids, leading to resolution of active retinitis. Tapering the steroids caused a mild reactivation of the ocular immune response.

Advances in vaccinating immunocompromised children.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Immunocompromised children are a largely under-vaccinated population and are vulnerable to acquiring vaccine-preventable infections (VPIs). A variety of factors contribute to poor vaccine coverage including: severity of underlying illness, sporadic contact with primary care physicians, and lack of awareness among specialty providers regarding vaccination status. In this review, we report recent data regarding incidence of VPIs, new approaches to vaccine use, rates of vaccine coverage, and strategies to optimize vaccine administration in immunocompromised populations. RECENT FINDINGS: Pediatric transplant recipients and patients with autoimmune disorders receiving novel biological therapies, represent growing immunocompromised patient populations. VPIs continue to be a concern for such patients. Underlying disease severity may limit efforts to immunize pediatric patients early in their disease process, prior to immunosuppression. Inactive vaccines are safe and immunogenic after the introduction of immunosuppression, but live vaccines are typically contraindicated. Emerging data support the safety and effectiveness of live vaccines in certain immunocompromised individuals. Care providers must remain vigilant in maintaining patients' vaccination status based on current vaccination guidelines, and create a multidisciplinary approach to optimizing vaccination. SUMMARY: Immunocompromised children remain under-vaccinated and vulnerable to VPIs. Optimizing vaccines should be a priority for every provider caring for this population.