Impact of the Hajj on pneumococcal transmission.

Over two million Muslim pilgrims assemble annually in Mecca and Medina, Saudi Arabia, to complete the Hajj. The large number of people in a crowded environment increases the potential for pneumococcal carriage amplification. We evaluated pneumococcal carriage prevalence with four cross-sectional studies conducted at beginning-Hajj (Mecca) and end-Hajj (Mina) during 2011 and 2012. A questionnaire was administered and a nasopharyngeal swab was collected. The swab was tested for pneumococcus, serotype and antibiotic resistance. A total of 3203 subjects (1590 at beginning-Hajj and 1613 at end-Hajj) originating from 18 countries in Africa or Asia were enrolled. The overall pneumococcal carriage prevalence was 6.0%. There was an increase in carriage between beginning-Hajj and end-Hajj cohorts for: overall carriage (4.4% versus 7.5%, prevalence ratio (PR) 1.7, 95% CI 1.3-2.3), and carriage of 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine serotypes (2.3% versus 4.1%, PR 1.8, 95% CI 1.2-2.7), 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) serotypes (1.1% versus 3.6%, PR 3.2, 95% CI 1.9-5.6), 10-valent PCV serotypes (0.6% versus 1.6%, PR 2.6, 95% CI 1.2-5.3), antibiotic non-susceptible isolates (2.5% versus 6.1%, PR 2.5, 95% CI 1.7-3.6) and multiple non-susceptible isolates (0.6% versus 2.2%, PR 3.8, 95% CI 1.8-7.9). Fifty-two different serotypes were identified, most commonly serotypes 3 (17%), 19F (5%) and 34 (5%). These results suggest that the Hajj may increase pneumococcal carriage-particularly conjugate vaccine serotypes and antibiotic non-susceptible strains, although the exact mechanism remains unknown. The Hajj may therefore provide a mechanism for the global distribution of pneumococci.

Septicaemia in febrile neutropenic children with cancer in Saudi Arabia.

The pattern of sepsis among 56 children admitted for various forms of cancer to the King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during a 6-year period, was retrospectively reviewed. A total of 148 febrile neutropenic episodes occurred and 55 of these, in 40 patients, were associated with positive blood cultures. The isolates were Gram-positive bacteria in 54% of instances, Gram-negative bacteria in 39.4% and Candida in 6.6% and polymicrobial sepsis occurred in five patients. Profound neutropenia (neutrophil counts less than 0.1 x 10(9) l-1) significantly predisposed to Gram-negative sepsis (P less than 0.02), which was responsible for about one-third of deaths in this series. Central venous catheters were present prior to 49% of the septicaemic episodes, but were not significantly associated with either increased Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacterial sepsis. However, all four cases of candidaemia occurred in patients with a central venous catheter in situ, and it is recommended that early empirical treatment for candida be considered in all febrile neutropenic cancer patients with central venous catheters.

Pediatric thoracic trauma.

OBJECTIVE: A retrospective analysis of the medical records of children up to 12 years of age inclusive, who sustained thoracic injuries during a 6-year period. METHODS: Ninety-one children were treated at King Fahad National Guard Hospital, Riyadh from January 1993 through December 1998. The clinical data included age, sex, mechanism of injury, associated injuries, pediatric trauma score, treatment and mortality. RESULTS: Eighty-seven children (96%) had injuries from blunt trauma and 4 from penetrating injuries. Of the blunt trauma cases, 82 children sustained motor vehicle accident related injuries, 62 as pedestrians and 20 as passengers. Penetrating thoracic injuries occurred in 4 children: 1 stab wound and 3 gunshots. The most frequent thoracic injuries were pulmonary contusion (70), pneumothorax (32), fractured rib (20) and fractured clavicle (18). Extrathoracic injuries included head (45), abdominal (41) and skeletal (26). Thoracotomy was required in only 1 child, laparotomy being necessary in 9 children for intraabdominal injuries. Tube thoracostomy was required in 33 children. Nine children died from motor vehicle accident related fatal head and neck injuries, 8 as pedestrians all with a pediatric trauma score < or = 6. CONCLUSION: Thoracic injuries in children below 12 years of age are usually from motor vehicle accident related blunt trauma. Pulmonary contusion and pneumothorax are the most common thoracic injuries. Most thoracic injuries can be managed either conservatively or by tube thoracostomy. Thoracic trauma in children is an indicator of multisystem injury with head injury being the most common cause of mortality.

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia in a referral hospital in Saudi Arabia: Epidemiology, pattern and clinical presentation.

Eighty-two children (30 males and 52 females) with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) were seen at King Khalid University Hospital (KKUH) over a 10-year period. Of these, 74 (90.2%) were Saudis and eight (9.8%) non-Saudis. Fifty-nine (72%) patients were 21-hydroxylase deficient. Of these, 56 (95%) had variable degrees of salt depletion. Nineteen (23.2%) patients had a deficiency of 11-ss-hydroxylase enzyme and four (4.8%) showed deficiency of 3-ss-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. The consanguinity rate was high (71.2%) and positive family history was documented in 45.8%. Thirty-nine infants deaths occurred within 25 families. The diagnosis was often delayed. Of the 52 females, 27 (52%) were initially assigned male sex. These results indicate the importance of physicians' awareness and the need for a neonatal screening program for early detection and appropriate management.

Screening for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus infection in hospital patients and their healthcare worker and family contacts: a prospective descriptive study.

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Health implemented a pro-active surveillance programme for Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus (MERS-CoV). We report MERS-CoV data from 5065 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia individuals who were screened for MERS-CoV over a 12-month period. From 1 October 2012 to 30 September 2013, demographic and clinical data were prospectively collected from all laboratory forms received at the Saudi Arabian Virology reference laboratory. Data were analysed by referral type, age, gender, and MERS-CoV real-time PCR test results. Five thousand and 65 individuals were screened for MER-CoV: hospitalized patients with suspected MERS-CoV infection (n = 2908, 57.4%), healthcare worker (HCW) contacts (n = 1695; 33.5%), and family contacts of laboratory-confirmed MERS cases (n = 462; 9.1%). Eleven per cent of persons tested were children (<17 years of age). There were 108 cases (99 adults and nine children) of MERS-CoV infection detected during the 12-month period (108/5065, 2% case detection rate). Of 108 cases, 45 were females (six children and 39 adults) and 63 were males (three children and 60 adults). Of the 99 adults with MERS-CoV infection, 70 were hospitalized patients, 19 were HCW contacts, and ten were family contacts. There were no significant increases in MERS-CoV detection rates over the 12-month period: 2.6% (19/731) in July 2013, 1.7% (19/1100) in August 2013, and 1.69% (21/1238) in September 2013. Male patients had a significantly higher MERS-CoV infection rate (63/2318, 2.7%) than females (45/2747, 1.6%) (p 0.013). MERS-CoV rates remain at low levels, with no significant increase over time. Pro-active surveillance for MERS-CoV in newly diagnosed patients and their contacts will continue.

Ambiguous genitalia: comparative role of pelvic ultrasonography and genitography.

Ambiguous genitalia represents a true medical and social emergency which needs a multi-disciplinary team approach for elucidation. The paediatric radiologist plays an important role in defining the genital anatomy which remains one of the most important factors in sex determination. Aiming to compare the predictive value of pelvic ultrasonography and genitography in sex determination in patients with ambiguous genitalia, we retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 69 patients, 53 females and 16 males, where both procedures were employed. In female pseudohermaphroditism, the presence of a uterus with or without vagina was predicted in 46 (86.8%) patients by ultrasound compared with 44 (83%) patients in whom a genitogram revealed a vagina +/- uterus. In six (11.3%) patients, a genitogram revealed a male-type urethra. The combination of ultrasound and genitogram, however, was more sensitive and predicted the presence of a uterus with or without vagina in 52 (98.1%) patients. In male pseudo-hermaphroditism, there was no false positive by ultrasound, and a genitogram revealed a male-type urethra in 12 (75%) patients. In conclusion, although real time pelvic ultrasonography is less invasive than genitography, its yield in elucidating genital anatomy is comparable. The combination of both procedures is more informative and has a better yield.