A Systematic Review of Human Paenibacillus Infections and Comparison of Adult and Pediatric Cases.

Background: Neonatal infections due to Paenibacillus species have increasingly been reported over the last few years.

Methods: We performed a structured literature review of human Paenibacillus infections in pediatric and adult patients to compare the epidemiology of infections between these distinct patient populations.

Results: Forty reports describing 177 infections were included.

Use of Maribavir for Multidrug Resistant Cytomegaloviremia in a Pediatric Oncology Patient.

Resistant and refractory cytomegalovirus (CMV) viremia can limit the provision of chemotherapy due to myelosuppression and end-organ dysfunction. Few therapies are available for children with clinically significant CMV viremia. We successfully used maribavir for a 4-year-old patient with lymphoma to complete his chemotherapy course.

Case Report: Successful avoidance of etoposide for primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis-induced multiple organ dysfunction syndrome using emapalumab.

We describe the case of an infant who presented with simple rhinovirus/enterovirus bronchiolitis whose condition worsened with rapid progression to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS). The patient was presumed to have either primary or secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), and treatment was initiated using dexamethasone, anakinra, and intravenous immunoglobulin to modulate the immune system. Due to the organ dysfunction, the use of etoposide was avoided and instead, emapalumab, an interferon gamma antagonist, was administered at a dose of 6 mg/kg.

Human Infections: A Systematic Review with Comparison of Adult and Infant Cases.

Neonatal infections due to have increasingly been reported over the last few years. We performed a structured literature review of human infections in infants and adults to compare the epidemiology of infections between these distinct patient populations. Thirty-nine reports describing 176 infections met our inclusion criteria and were included.

Paenibacillus spp infection among infants with postinfectious hydrocephalus in Uganda: an observational case-control study.

Background: Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus is a cause of postinfectious hydrocephalus among Ugandan infants. To determine whether Paenibacillus spp is a pathogen in neonatal sepsis, meningitis, and postinfectious hydrocephalus, we aimed to complete three separate studies of Ugandan infants. The first study was on peripartum prevalence of Paenibacillus in mother-newborn pairs.

Neonatal Paenibacilliosis: Paenibacillus Infection as a Novel Cause of Sepsis in Term Neonates With High Risk of Sequelae in Uganda.

Background: Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus may be an underdiagnosed cause of neonatal sepsis.

Methods: We prospectively enrolled a cohort of 800 full-term neonates presenting with a clinical diagnosis of sepsis at 2 Ugandan hospitals. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction specific to P.

Opportunities for Antibiotic Reduction in Pediatric Patients With Urinary Tract Infection After Discharge From the Emergency Department.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate how often antibiotics are adjusted by providers, specifically discontinued or de-escalated to a more narrow-spectrum agent, based on final culture and susceptibility results, when treating patients diagnosed with a urinary tract infection (UTI) in the pediatric emergency department (ED).

Methods: This was a retrospective study of pediatric patients younger than 18 years who were discharged home from the ED with a diagnosis of UTI between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2019. Patients were included if a urine culture was sent as part of their UTI workup and were excluded if they had been pretreated with antibiotics before the diagnosis.

Prolonged Thrombocytopenia in a Case of MIS-C in a Vaccinated Child.

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) has been extensively described in patients following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. There are now questions about what MIS-C may look like in vaccinated children. Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children has many clinical and laboratory features in common with other inflammatory disorders including Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome.

Type IV Pili Are a Critical Virulence Factor in Clinical Isolates of Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus.

Hydrocephalus, the leading indication for childhood neurosurgery worldwide, is particularly prevalent in low- and middle-income countries. Hydrocephalus preceded by an infection, or postinfectious hydrocephalus, accounts for up to 60% of hydrocephalus in these areas. Since many children with hydrocephalus suffer poor long-term outcomes despite surgical intervention, prevention of hydrocephalus remains paramount.

Exposure-safety relationship for acyclovir in the treatment of neonatal herpes simplex virus disease.

Background: Neonatal herpes simplex virus (HSV) disease has been treated with high-dose (20 mg/kg/dose) acyclovir since 1991.

Aims: Determine the safety of acyclovir in infants with neonatal HSV treated with high-dose acyclovir; examine the association between acyclovir dose and exposure with adverse events (AEs).

Study Design: We obtained demographic information and acyclovir dosing via medical records.

Solithromycin in Children and Adolescents With Community-acquired Bacterial Pneumonia.

Background: Solithromycin is a new macrolide-ketolide antibiotic with potential effectiveness in pediatric community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (CABP). Our objective was to evaluate its safety and effectiveness in children with CABP.

Methods: This phase 2/3, randomized, open-label, active-control, multicenter study randomly assigned solithromycin (capsules, suspension or intravenous) or an appropriate comparator antibiotic in a 3:1 ratio (planned n = 400) to children 2 months to 17 years of age with CABP.

Cytomegalovirus infections in infants in Uganda: Newborn-mother pairs, neonates with sepsis, and infants with hydrocephalus.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections among newborn-mother pairs, neonates with sepsis, and infants with hydrocephalus in Uganda.

Design And Methods: Three populations-newborn-mother pairs, neonates with sepsis, and infants (≤3 months) with nonpostinfectious (NPIH) or postinfectious (PIH) hydrocephalus-were evaluated for CMV infection at 3 medical centers in Uganda. Quantitative PCR (qPCR) was used to characterize the prevalence of CMV.

Short-term and Long-term Rates of Postacute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 Infection: A Systematic Review.

Importance: Short-term and long-term persistent postacute sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC) have not been systematically evaluated. The incidence and evolution of PASC are dependent on time from infection, organ systems and tissue affected, vaccination status, variant of the virus, and geographic region.

Objective: To estimate organ system-specific frequency and evolution of PASC.

Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection Burden and Epidemiologic Risk Factors in Countries With Universal Screening: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Importance: Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) infection is the most common congenital infection and the leading acquired cause of developmental disabilities and sensorineural deafness, yet a reliable assessment of the infection burden is lacking.

Objectives: To estimate the birth prevalence of cCMV in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs), characterize the rate by screening methods, and delineate associated risk factors of the infection.

Data Sources: MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews databases were searched from January 1, 1960, to March 1, 2021, and a total of 1322 studies were identified.

Real-World Application of a Procalcitonin Monitoring Protocol in a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.

Objective: Procalcitonin (PCT) is a biomarker used as an indicator for inflammation and bacterial infections. In October 2018, our PICU implemented a PCT monitoring protocol incorporating cutoffs established in previous studies to help guide antibiotic decision-making in patients undergoing sepsis evaluation. The study objective was to evaluate adherence to the protocol with regard to PCT monitoring and antibiotic use.

Anti-NMDAR Encephalitis After Neonatal HSV-1 Infection in a Child With Low TLR-3 Function.

Neonatal herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE) often results in long-lasting neuro-disability in affected children. In addition to primary HSVE and HSVE relapses, children with herpes simplex virus are at increased risk of developing anti--methyl--aspartate receptor encephalitis (NMDARe), an autoimmune encephalitis. In this study, we describe a patient with neonatal disseminated herpes infection, who developed HSVE after discontinuation of 2 years of acyclovir suppressive therapy.

Immune activation during brain infection in African infants with frequent cytomegalovirus co-infection.

Inflammation during neonatal brain infections leads to significant secondary sequelae such as hydrocephalus, which often follows neonatal sepsis in the developing world. In 100 African hydrocephalic infants we identified the biological pathways that account for this response. The dominant bacterial pathogen was a species, with frequent cytomegalovirus co-infection.

Correction: Association of vitamin A deficiency with early childhood stunting in Uganda: A population-based cross-sectional study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Global, regional and national epidemiology and prevalence of child stunting, wasting and underweight in low- and middle-income countries, 2006-2018.

In 2016, undernutrition, as manifested in childhood stunting, wasting, and underweight were estimated to cause over 1.0 million deaths, 3.9% of years of life lost, and 3.

Severe Pediatric Mycoplasma pneumoniae Infection Requiring Veno-venous Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is an atypical bacterial pathogen that typically causes mild respiratory symptoms. Rarely, MP is associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome, a condition marked by widespread inflammation in the lungs that often requires invasive support. We report a case of severe acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring veno-venous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in an otherwise healthy adolescent because of MP.

Reduced Vancomycin Susceptibility, MRSA and Treatment Failure in Pediatric Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infections.

Background: Clinical implications of reduced vancomycin susceptibility (RVS) among pediatric Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections are unknown.

Methods: We identified all children at 2 children's hospitals with ≥1 blood culture positive for S. aureus.

infection with frequent viral coinfection contributes to postinfectious hydrocephalus in Ugandan infants.

Postinfectious hydrocephalus (PIH), which often follows neonatal sepsis, is the most common cause of pediatric hydrocephalus worldwide, yet the microbial pathogens underlying this disease remain to be elucidated. Characterization of the microbial agents causing PIH would enable a shift from surgical palliation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) accumulation to prevention of the disease. Here, we examined blood and CSF samples collected from 100 consecutive infant cases of PIH and control cases comprising infants with non-postinfectious hydrocephalus in Uganda.

Associations of malaria, HIV, and coinfection, with anemia in pregnancy in sub-Saharan Africa: a population-based cross-sectional study.

Background: Malaria and HIV are common infections in Africa and cause substantial morbidity and mortality in pregnant women. We aimed to assess the association of malaria with anemia in pregnant women and to explore the joint effects of malaria and HIV infection on anemia in pregnant women.

Methods: We used nationally representative, cross-sectional demographic and health surveys (DHS) that were conducted between 2012 and 2017 across 7 countries of sub-Saharan Africa (Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Senegal and Togo).

Association of vitamin A deficiency with early childhood stunting in Uganda: A population-based cross-sectional study.

Background: Despite the high prevalence of childhood protein-energy malnutrition and vitamin A deficiency in sub-Saharan Africa, their association has not been explored in this region. A better understanding of the epidemiologic link could help define effective preventive strategies. We aimed to explore the association of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) with stunting, wasting, and underweight among preschool children in Uganda.

Management of newborns exposed to mothers with confirmed or suspected COVID-19.

There is limited information about newborns with confirmed or suspected COVID-19. Particularly in the hospital after delivery, clinicians have refined practices in order to prevent secondary infection. While guidance from international associations is continuously being updated, all facets of care of neonates born to women with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 are center-specific, given local customs, building infrastructure constraints, and availability of protective equipment.