Absence of human herpesvirus 6B detection in association with illness in children undergoing cancer chemotherapy.

The lymphotropic herpesviruses, cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) can reactivate and cause disease in organ transplant recipients; the contributions of HHV-6A and HHV-7 to disease are less certain. Less is known about their pathogenic roles in children undergoing treatment for malignancies. Children with newly diagnosed cancer were followed for 24 months.

Staphylococcus aureus colonization in children undergoing heart surgery.

Background: Staphylococcus aureus is an important cause of cardiac surgical site infection. Based on studies in adults, nasal screening to detect S aureuscolonization is used to guide decolonization and selection of prophylactic antibiotics. In our Children's Hospital, a sensitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay is used to screen patients undergoing cardiac surgery for nasal colonization with methicillin-sensitive S aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S aureus (MRSA).