Outbreak of bloodstream infections because of Serratia marcescens in a pediatric department.

Background: Serratia marcescens can cause health care-associated infections. We herewith report the investigation and control of an outbreak of S marcescens bloodstream infections (BSI) in a general pediatric department.

Methods: From April to May 2009, temporally related cases of S marcescens BSI occurred in a 40-bed general pediatric department of a tertiary care hospital.

Standard-dose intravenous anti-D immunoglobulin versus intravenous immunoglobulin in the treatment of newly diagnosed childhood primary immune thrombocytopenia.

Background: We conducted a study to evaluate the efficacy of intravenous (IV) anti-D against IV immunoglobulin (IVIG) in newly diagnosed immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) in children and to identify the clinical characteristics of the children most likely to benefit from one or the other treatment.

Procedure: Children (6 mo to 14 y) with newly diagnosed ITP and a platelet count <20,000/μL were treated either with a single bolus dose of 50 μg/kg IV anti-D or with 0.8 to 1 g/kg IVIG in a randomized manner.

Successful treatment of a spontaneous haemothorax with recombinant factor VIIa in a haemophilic child with inhibitors.

Haemophilia A is an X-linked disorder caused by a deficiency of factor VIII. Haemorrhage in various sites may occur spontaneously or secondary to trauma depending on the severity of the deficiency. Common manifestations include haemarthrosis, epistaxis, gastrointestinal haemorrhage and haematuria.

A patient with Lemierre syndrome.

Lemierre syndrome, also known as postanginal sepsis, is a severe complication of an acute oropharyngeal infection that results in septic thrombophlebitis of the ipsilateral internal jugular vein with subsequent septicemia, often complicated by metastatic infections (Syed et al., Laryngoscope 117:1605-1610, 2007). We present the case of a previously healthy 12-year-old boy with Lemierre syndrome, caused by streptococci (Abiotrophia defectiva), complicating a subcutaneous neck abscess.