Bacterial causes of empyema in children, Australia, 2007-2009.

An increase in the incidence of empyema worldwide could be related to invasive pneumococcal disease caused by emergent nonvaccine replacement serotypes. To determine bacterial pathogens and pneumococcal serotypes that cause empyema in children in Australia, we conducted a 2-year study of 174 children with empyema. Blood and pleural fluid samples were cultured, and pleural fluid was tested by PCR.

Pleural fluid nucleic acid testing enhances pneumococcal surveillance in children.

Background And Objective: National surveillance of invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) includes serotyping Streptococcus pneumoniae (SP) isolates from sterile site cultures. PCR is more sensitive and can identify more SP serotypes (STs) in culture-negative samples. The aim of this study was to determine whether enhanced surveillance of childhood empyema, using PCR, provides additional serotype information compared with conventional surveillance.

A bedside assay to detect streptococcus pneumoniae in children with empyema.

Background: Empyema is a complication of pneumonia, commonly caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Aims: To validate the utility of an immunochromatographic test for the detection of S. pneumoniae antigen in the pleural fluid of children with empyema.

Respiratory syncytial virus infections in Central Australia.

Background: Little is known about the epidemiology of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in arid desert regions and in the Aboriginal population. We describe the seasonality and epidemiology of RSV infection in Central Australia, an arid area with a large Aboriginal population.

Methods: Five-year retrospective study from 2000 through 2004 of children less than 2 years old admitted to Alice Springs Hospital with documented RSV infection.

Tobacco smoke exposure in hospitalised Aboriginal children in Central Australia.

Aim: Child exposure to tobacco smoke is detrimental to health. Australian Aboriginal people have a higher rate of cigarette smoking compared with the national average. Thus, we aim to measure the proportion of children admitted to Alice Springs Hospital who are exposed to tobacco smoke at home, to correlate this with prevalence of regular cough and gauge smokers' interest in quitting.

Family and carer smoking control programmes for reducing children's exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

Background: Children's exposure to other people's cigarette smoke (environmental tobacco smoke, or ETS) is associated with a range of adverse health outcomes for children. Parental smoking is a common source of children's exposure to ETS. Preventing exposure to cigarette smoke in infancy and childhood has significant potential to improve children's health worldwide.

Octreotide in children with hypoglycaemia due to sulfonylurea ingestion.

Sulfonylureas are commonly prescribed for type 2 diabetes mellitus; however, overdose or accidental ingestion may result in profound and prolonged hypoglycaemia with permanent neurological sequelae and death. We describe two cases of children with hypoglycaemia due to presumed accidental ingestion of sulfonylureas, where traditional methods of raising blood sugar levels were unsatisfactory. Two studies describe Octreotide for adults with hypoglycaemia, but there are no studies examining the use of Octreotide in children for this indication.