Clinical Characteristics and Management of Children and Adolescents Hospitalized With Pyomyositis.

Background: Pyomyositis, a bacterial muscle infection, is an important differential diagnosis in children and adolescents with musculoskeletal pain. In contrast to tropical regions, it is rarely recognized in temperate countries, but incidence is increasing and major studies are missing.

Methods: This retrospective multicenter study included patients <18 years of age hospitalized with pyomyositis in 11 Swiss children's hospitals between January 2010 and December 2022.

Organ Dysfunction in Children With Blood Culture-Proven Sepsis: Comparative Performance of Four Scores in a National Cohort Study.

Objectives: Previous studies applying Sepsis-3 criteria to children were based on retrospective analyses of PICU cohorts. We aimed to compare organ dysfunction criteria in children with blood culture-proven sepsis, including emergency department, PICU, and ward patients, and to assess relevance of organ dysfunctions for mortality prediction.

Design: We have carried out a nonprespecified, secondary analysis of a prospective dataset collected from September 2011 to December 2015.

Sensitivity of ICD coding for sepsis in children-a population-based study.

Background: International Classification of Diseases 10th edition (ICD-10) is widely used to describe the burden of disease.

Aim: To describe how well ICD-10 coding captures sepsis in children admitted to the hospital with blood culture-proven bacterial or fungal infection and systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

Methods: Secondary analysis of a population-based, multicenter, prospective cohort study on children with blood culture-proven sepsis of nine tertiary pediatric hospitals in Switzerland.

Structured Immune Workup in Healthy Children With a First Episode of Severe Bacterial Infection: A 7-year Single-Center Study.

Background: Severe bacterial infections (SBIs) in otherwise healthy children are rare and may represent an underlying impairment of the immune system, including primary immunodeficiency. However, it is unclear whether and how children should be assessed.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed data from hospital records of previously healthy children aged 3 days to 18 years with SBI, including pleuropneumonia, meningitis, and/or sepsis.

Low secondary attack rate after prolonged exposure to sputum smear positive miliary tuberculosis in a neonatal unit.

Background: Several neonatal intensive care units (NICU) have reported exposure to sputum smear positive tuberculosis (TB). NICE guidelines give support regarding investigation and treatment intervention, but not for contact definitions. Data regarding the reliability of any interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) in infants as a screening test for TB infection is scarce.

Neonates with SARS-CoV-2 infection: spectrum of disease from a prospective nationwide observational cohort study.

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can be more severe in infants than in older children. To date, only a few case series have reported data on neonates with COVID-19, including mostly asymptomatic neonates who were tested because of exposure to maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection. This study summarises nationwide epidemiological data, clinical characteristics, treatment and outcomes of neonates presenting with symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection.

[Baby on board - recommendations for pediatric travel consultation].

Traveling with babies and children is challenging for parents and the doctor providing travel medicine advice. Especially pediatric VFR (visiting friends and relatives) travelers have a higher risk for infectious diseases due to lower risk perception and higher exposure. Being well prepared helps in exploring the world while staying healthy.

Paediatric refugees from Ukraine: guidance for health care providers.

Background: With the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Army in February 2022, refugees, the majority of whom are women and children, started fleeing the war to neighbouring countries. Even before the current escalation, the conflict in the eastern part of Ukraine has led to the internal displacement of more than 200,000 children, and many others have experienced attacks, e.g.

Case Report: Case Series of Children With Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome Following SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Switzerland.

Since the beginning of the severe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, an increasing number of countries reported cases of a systemic hyperinflammatory condition defined as multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). The clinical features of MIS-C can be an overlap of Kawasaki Disease (KD), Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS), Macrophage Activation Syndrome (MAS), or have often an acute abdominal presentation. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is recommended as first line therapy in KD.

Swiss consensus recommendations on urinary tract infections in children.

The kidneys and the urinary tract are a common source of infection in children of all ages, especially infants and young children. The main risk factors for sequelae after urinary tract infections (UTI) are congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (CAKUT) and bladder-bowel dysfunction. UTI should be considered in every child with fever without a source.

Impact of rapid enterovirus polymerase chain reaction testing on management of febrile young infants < 90 days of age with aseptic meningitis.

Background: Diagnostic evaluation of febrile young infants is challenging. Empirical antimicrobial treatment is therefore common practice in this setting despite high percentage of causative viral infections. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of rapid enterovirus cerebrospinal fluid polymerase chain reaction (CSF EV PCR) test on hospital length of stay (LOS) and antimicrobial treatment duration in young febrile infants.

Improved Diagnostics Help to Identify Clinical Features and Biomarkers That Predict Mycoplasma pneumoniae Community-acquired Pneumonia in Children.

Background: There are no reliable signs or symptoms that differentiate Mycoplasma pneumoniae (Mp) infection in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) from other etiologies. Additionally, current diagnostic tests do not reliably distinguish between Mp infection and carriage. We previously determined that the measurement of Mp-specific immunoglobulin M antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) by enzyme-linked immunospot assay allowed for differentiation between infection and carriage.

Ductus arteriosus-associated infective endarteritis: Lessons from the past, future perspective.

Background: Since routine clinical use of antibiotics as well as surgical and catheter-based closure of a patent arterial duct (PDA), PDA-associated infective endarteritis (PDA-IE) is rare but can still occur when the ductus is still open or as it closes. Thus, clinicians should maintain a high index of concern for patients with unexplained fever.

Methods: We report on a PDA-IE in a young infant shortly after potentially delayed obliteration of a PDA.

Pleural Tap-Guided Antimicrobial Treatment for Pneumonia with Parapneumonic Effusion or Pleural Empyema in Children: A Single-Center Cohort Study.

Parapneumonic effusion or pleural empyema (PPE/PE) is a frequent complication of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children. Different management approaches exist for this condition. We evaluated a 14-day treatment with amoxicillin (AMX) with/without clavulanic acid (AMC) confirmed or modified by microbiological findings from pleural tap.

Burden of Streptococcus pneumoniae Sepsis in Children After Introduction of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccines: A Prospective Population-based Cohort Study.

Background: Population-based studies assessing the impact of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCV) on burden of pneumococcal sepsis in children are lacking. We aimed to assess this burden following introduction of PCV-13 in a nationwide cohort study.

Methods: The Swiss Pediatric Sepsis Study (September 2011 to December 2015) prospectively recruited children <17 years of age with blood culture-proven sepsis due to Streptococcus pneumoniae, meeting criteria for systemic inflammatory response syndrome.

Neonatal Sepsis of Early Onset, and Hospital-Acquired and Community-Acquired Late Onset: A Prospective Population-Based Cohort Study.

Objective: To assess the epidemiology of blood culture-proven early- (EOS) and late-onset neonatal sepsis (LOS).

Study Design: All newborn infants admitted to tertiary care neonatal intensive care units in Switzerland and presenting with blood culture-proven sepsis between September 2011 and December 2015 were included in the study. We defined EOS as infection occurring <3 days after birth, and LOS as infection ≥3 days after birth.

Case report: narcolepsy type 1 in an adolescent with HIV infection-coincidence or potential trigger?

Rationale: Despite the acknowledged importance of environmental risk factors in the etiology of narcolepsy, there is little research on this topic. HIV as a trigger for narcolepsy has not been systematically investigated.

Patient Concerns: We describe a case of narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) in an adolescent with HIV infection presenting with increased daytime sleepiness and excessive weight gain.