Examination of Early Endotracheal Aspirate Cultures in Children with Acute Respiratory Failure Due to Presumed Acute Respiratory Tract Infection.

Objective: To determine the yield of early endotracheal aspirate cultures in mechanically ventilated pediatric patients with acute respiratory failure due to acute respiratory tract infection and endeavor to guide antibiotic choice in acute respiratory failure with concern for infectious etiology.

Results: One-hundred ten admissions were included. Of those samples, 61 percent (67 out of 110) had bacterial growth in tracheal aspirate samples.

Human and Animal Bites.

In the United States, nearly 56% of households owned a pet in 2011 according to the by the American Veterinary Medical Association. The survey also reports that approximately 70 million dogs and 74 million cats lived in households in the United States during the same year. (1)Human and animal bites are a frequent cause of primary care and emergency department visits for children.

Salmonella Infections in Childhood.

Salmonella are gram-negative bacilli within the family Enterobacteriaceae. They are the cause of significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. Animals (pets) are an important reservoir for nontyphoidal Salmonella, whereas humans are the only natural host and reservoir for Salmonella Typhi.