Congenital epulis of the jaw: a series of five cases and review of literature.

This article describes five cases of congenital epulis, a rare and benign swelling in the mouth of a newborn, which is not widely known. We present five cases: four cases presented as single pedunculated nodules of the gingiva and in one case two nodules were present. Of all, 50% were located at the maxilla.

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccination in children with recurrent acute otitis media: a therapeutic alternative?

Background: Based on two clinical trials in healthy infants the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advices immunization with a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in children with recurrent acute otitis media (AOM).

Objective: To study the efficacy of a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine on acute otitis media recurrences, its immunogenicity and impact on nasopharyngeal Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage in children with a history of frequent acute otitis media.

Methods: In this double-blind, randomized study, 74 Belgian children, aged 1-7 years, with at least 2 clinically diagnosed episodes of acute otitis media in the previous year were enrolled.

Nasopharyngeal pneumococcal carriage after combined pneumococcal conjugate and polysaccharide vaccination in children with a history of recurrent acute otitis media.

Background: We recently showed that vaccination with a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) followed by a 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) failed to prevent new episodes of acute otitis media (AOM) in previously unvaccinated toddlers and children with a history of recurrent AOM. We describe in detail the impact of pneumococcal vaccinations on nasopharyngeal carriage of S. pneumoniae in this study population.

Antibiotic susceptibility of acute otitis media pathogens in otitis-prone Belgian children.

Unlabelled: A regional surveillance study was carried out in children with recurrent acute otitis media (AOM) to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility of three common AOM pathogens. Susceptibility to relevant antimicrobial agents was determined on 149 Streptococcus pneumoniae, 246 Haemophilus influenzae and 119 Moraxella catarrhalis strains isolated between January 1999 and January 2002, either from the nasopharynx or middle ear of 74 children with recurrent AOM, the majority (77%) being otitis-prone. Overall pneumococcal resistance to penicillin was 9.

Deficient IgA and IgG2 anti-pneumococcal antibody levels and response to vaccination in otitis prone children.

Objective: To evaluate the isotype and IgG subclass distribution of anti-pneumococcal antibodies and response to polysaccharide vaccination in otitis prone children.

Methods: IgG1, IgG2 and IgA antibodies to pneumococcal serotypes 3, 4, 6B, 9V, 14, 19F and 23F were determined in otitis prone children and in an age-matched healthy control population. Patients were immunized with a 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine.