Lyme disease in Canada: Focus on children.

Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne infection in Canada and much of the United States, is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. Peak incidence for Lyme disease is among children five to nine years of age and older adults (55 to 59 years of age). The bacteria are transmitted through the bite of infected black-legged ticks of the Ixodes species.

Preventing mosquito and tick bites: A Canadian update.

The present practice point provides updated guidance on personal protective measures to safely and effectively prevent mosquito and tick bites in Canada. Means of avoidance as well as physical and chemical barriers are described. Current information regarding insect and tick repellents and recommendations for their use are provided, along with instructions for removing ticks.

Community-acquired urinary tract pathogens and their resistance patterns in hospitalized children in southeastern Ontario between 2002 and 2006.

Background: The purpose of the present study was to assess the epidemiology and resistance patterns of bacteria causing urinary tract infections in children who were admitted to Kingston General Hospital (Kingston, Ontario) - the regional tertiary care hospital of southeastern Ontario.

Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients one to 18 years of age who were admitted to Kingston General Hospital with a discharge diagnosis of urinary tract infection between 2002 and early 2006 was undertaken.

Results: One hundred forty-two patient charts were reviewed, of which 56.

The Pediatric Investigators Collaborative Network on Infections in Canada study of predictors of hospitalization for respiratory syncytial virus infection for infants born at 33 through 35 completed weeks of gestation.

Background: Infants born at 33 through 35 completed weeks of gestation (33-35GA) are at risk for severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection, and palivizumab prophylaxis lowers hospitalizations for RSV infection by as much as 80%. The 33-35GA cohort comprises 3-5% of annual births; thus expert panels recommend limiting prophylaxis to situations in which frequency or health care impact of RSV infection is high. This study sought to identify independent risk factors for hospitalization for RSV infection.

A cost-benefit analysis of prenatal screening for toxoplasmosis.

The objective of this study was to examine critically the validity of a toxoplasma prenatal screening program, in the context of a cost-benefit analysis, as it relates to the Canadian experience. Recently, studies have suggested that early treatment of infected infants with a combination of pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine is effective in reducing the sequelae of toxoplasmosis. It was concluded that a carefully planned screening program for detecting and treating infants infected with Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy is cost beneficial.