Early glucose abnormalities are associated with pulmonary inflammation in young children with cystic fibrosis.

Background: Children with CF are insulin deficient from infancy but very little is known about the impact of glucose abnormalities in early life. We aimed to identify and describe interstitial glucose levels in CF children <6 years and to evaluate the association with pulmonary infection and inflammation.

Methods: We assessed 18 children (5 females) with median age of 3.

Increased paediatric hospitalizations for empyema in Australia after introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.

Objective: To examine rates of paediatric hospitalization for empyema and pneumonia in Australia before and after the introduction of the seven-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7).

Methods: Rates of paediatric hospitalization for empyema and pneumonia (bacterial, viral and all types) were calculated following the codes of the International Classification of Diseases, tenth revision (ICD-10) as a principal diagnosis. The expected number of hospitalizations after the PCV7 was introduced was estimated on the basis of the observed number of hospitalizations before the introduction of the PCV7.

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.