Validation of saliva sampling as an alternative to oro-nasopharyngeal swab for detection of SARS-CoV-2 using unextracted rRT-PCR with the Allplex 2019-nCoV assay.

The current severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has stressed the global supply chain for specialized equipment, including flocked swabs. Saliva could be a potential alternative specimen source for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection by reverse-transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR). To compare the detection efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in saliva and oro-nasopharyngeal swab (ONPS) specimens.

Comparison of three different methods for detection of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in a tertiary pediatric care center.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) is a well-known cause of sporadic and epidemic food-borne gastroenteritis. A low infectious dose, approximately 10 microorganisms, is sufficient to cause disease that may lead to hemolytic-uremic syndrome. The objective of this study was to compare the performances of an in-house real-time PCR, a commercial enzyme immunoassay (EIA) (Premier EHEC; Meridian Bioscience), and culture on sorbitol MacConkey agar for the detection of STEC in a tertiary care pediatric hospital.

Novel influenza A (H1N1): clinical features of pediatric hospitalizations in two successive waves.

Objective: To describe and compare the characteristics of children hospitalized with novel influenza A (H1N1) during two successive waves.

Methods: This was a medical chart review of all children hospitalized in a French Canadian pediatric hospital in Montreal in the spring and fall of 2009 with a positive real-time polymerase chain reaction for novel influenza A (H1N1) and flu-like symptoms.

Results: We included 202 children with a median age of 4.

Bordetella holmesii bacteremia in asplenic children: report of four cases initially misidentified as Acinetobacter lwoffii.

Bordetella holmesii is a fastidious Gram-negative rod that was initially identified in 1995. It causes bacteremia, predominantly among patients with anatomical or functional asplenia. We report four cases of B.

Hospital-acquired phaeohyphomycosis due to Exserohilum rostratum in a child with leukemia.

The present study describes a case of cutaneous phaeohyphomycosis caused by Exserohilum rostratum in a child undergoing treatment for leukemia. The infection was possibly due to contaminated intravenous dressings and was successfully treated with surgical excision combined with liposomal amphotericin B. Consequently, new infection control policies have been implemented at CHU Sainte-Justine (Montreal, Quebec).