Prospective Study of the Performance of Parent-Collected Nasal and Saliva Swab Samples, Compared with Nurse-Collected Swab Samples, for the Molecular Detection of Respiratory Microorganisms.

Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are ubiquitous among children in the community. A prospective observational study was performed to evaluate the diagnostic performance and quality of at-home parent-collected (PC) nasal and saliva swab samples, compared to nurse-collected (NC) swab samples, from children with RTI symptoms. Children with RTI symptoms were swabbed at home on the same day by a parent and a nurse.

Sweet Relief: Determining the Antimicrobial Activity of Medical Grade Honey Against Vaginal Isolates of .

Recurrent vulvovaginal candidiasis (RVVC) is predicted to increase to almost 158 million cases annually by 2030. Extensive self-diagnosis and easily accessible over-the-counter (OTC) fungistatic drugs contribute to antifungal-resistance, illustrating the need for novel therapies. Honey possesses multiple antimicrobial mechanisms, and there is no antimicrobial resistance towards honey reported.

Population-based paediatric respiratory infection surveillance: a prospective inception feasibility cohort study.

Background: There is a need to reduce unnecessary general practitioner (GP) consultations and improve antibiotic stewardship in primary care. Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in children are the most common reason for consulting and prescribing. Most RTI research is conducted at the point of consultation, leaving a knowledge gap regarding the population burden of RTIs.

Throat swabs in children with respiratory tract infection: associations with clinical presentation and potential targets for point-of-care testing.

Background And Objectives: Diagnostic uncertainty over respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in primary care contributes to over-prescribing of antibiotics and drives antibiotic resistance. If symptoms and signs predict respiratory tract microbiology, they could help clinicians target antibiotics to bacterial infection. This study aimed to determine relationships between symptoms and signs in children presenting to primary care and microbes from throat swabs.

Development and internal validation of a clinical rule to improve antibiotic use in children presenting to primary care with acute respiratory tract infection and cough: a prognostic cohort study.

Background: Antimicrobial resistance is a serious threat to public health, with most antibiotics prescribed in primary care. General practitioners (GPs) report defensive antibiotic prescribing to mitigate perceived risk of future hospital admission in children with respiratory tract infections. We developed a clinical rule aimed to reduce clinical uncertainty by stratifying risk of future hospital admission.

Community paediatric respiratory infection surveillance study protocol: a feasibility, prospective inception cohort study.

Introduction: Paediatric respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are common reasons for primary care consultations and antibiotic prescribing. Locally relevant syndromic and microbiological surveillance information has the potential to improve the care of children with RTIs by normalising illness (parents) and reducing uncertainty (clinicians). Currently, most RTI studies are conducted at the point of healthcare service consultation, leaving the community burden, microbiology, symptom duration and proportion consulting largely unknown.

The TARGET cohort study protocol: a prospective primary care cohort study to derive and validate a clinical prediction rule to improve the targeting of antibiotics in children with respiratory tract illnesses.

Background: Children with respiratory tract infections are the single most frequent patient group to make use of primary care health care resources. The use of antibiotics remains highly prevalent in young children, but can lead to antimicrobial resistance as well as reinforcing the idea that parents should re-consult for similar symptoms. One of the main drivers of indiscriminate antimicrobial use is the lack of evidence for, and therefore uncertainty regarding, which children are at risk of poor outcome.

Bacterial susceptibility to topical antimicrobials and clinical outcome in bacterial keratitis.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between the susceptibility of bacteria to topical antimicrobials and clinical outcome in microbial keratitis.

Methods: Clinical outcome data were collected from patients with microbial keratitis from whom a bacterium had been isolated during the period 2003 to 2006. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined for the isolates against 10 antimicrobials.

Cavitatory lung disease complicating empyema in children.

Objective: The incidence of empyema has increased dramatically in children in the UK over the last decade. Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) serotype 1 is the dominant serotype.

Childhood empyema: limited potential impact of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

During 2003-2004, locally presenting pleural empyema cases in children increased 3-fold. Antigen analysis of empyema fluid identified Streptococcus pneumoniae in 27 of 29 cases for whom samples were available and capsular polysaccharide type 1 in 18 of these. Use of a conjugate vaccine without serotype 1 antigen would have had limited impact on this morbidity in our region.

Diagnosis of invasive pneumococcal infection by serotype-specific urinary antigen detection.

Widespread use of conjugate pneumococcal polysaccharide-protein vaccines may alter the spectrum of pneumococci producing invasive disease. Novel sensitive diagnostic methods would be valuable for monitoring the epidemiology of pneumococcal disease within populations and vaccine recipients. Ideally, these methods should allow determination of the serotype of the infecting clone.