Rotavirus cerebellitis: new aspects to an old foe?

Rotavirus infection is a significant cause of childhood morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although infection primarily causes gastroenteritis and dehydration, systemic signs and neurologic manifestations in rotavirus infection are widely recognized. The pathophysiologic origins of neurologic signs in rotavirus infection remain incompletely understood.

Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens septic arthritis following puncture with a Coxspur Hawthorn thorn.

Curtobacterium species are recognized plant pathogens. We report the first well-documented case of Curtobacterium human infection, a child with septic arthritis following puncture with a Coxspur Hawthorn plant thorn. The organism isolated from synovial tissue and the plant thorn was identified as Curtobacterium flaccumfaciens by 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis.

Streptococcus pneumoniae sepsis in the newborn.

Background: Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) is an uncommon cause of neonatal sepsis.

Aims: To report on the spectrum of morbidity associated with SP infections in the neonatal period.

Methods: A case series of SP infection in the neonatal period was studied.

Congenital tuberculosis after in-vitro fertilisation.

A 6-week old infant who had been conceived through in-vitro fertilisation (IVF) presented with a skin lesion and enlarged lymph nodes, and developed severe respiratory distress. Mycobacterium tuberculosis was identified; his mother was the only potential source identified. To our knowledge, this is the first case of congenital tuberculosis after IVF reported in Australia and the second worldwide.