Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Congenital Syphilis in Japan, 2023: Executive Summary.

Congenital syphilis (CS) is a mother-to-child infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum, transmitted through the placenta. In Japan, the number of syphilis cases has recently increased, accompanied by an increase in CS cases. Thus, automated methods for serum antibodies with serial values, without a 2× dilution sequence, have been widely used.

Risks and Prevention of Severe Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection among Infants and Children with Pulmonary Hypoplasia, Airway Stenosis, Congenital Esophageal Atresia, Inborn Errors of Metabolism, or Neuromuscular Diseases in Japan.

Background: In March 2024, children with pulmonary hypoplasia, airway stenosis, congenital esophageal atresia, inborn errors of metabolism, and neuromuscular diseases became eligible for palivizumab in Japan. Despite limited epidemiological data, expert consensus guided the recommendation for palivizumab use in these children to ensure its proper application.

Objectives: This article outlines the proper use of palivizumab for RSV infection in infants and children with the specified conditions, aiming to enhance understanding of the medical basis for its clinical guidance.

Prospective hospital-based cohort studies of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) infections in infants under one year during and after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Japan.

Objectives: In Japan, population-based epidemiological data on respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections are limited. To elucidate the epidemiology of RSV before the introduction of new prophylactic drugs, we conducted a population-based study during and after the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.

Methods: This study was performed in four hospitals in Chiba City and three hospitals in Ichihara City.

Launch of Board Certification in Pediatric Infectious Diseases in Japan.

To cultivate specialists in pediatric infectious diseases (ID) in Japan, the Japanese Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases initiated board certification for pediatric ID in 2017. Previously, in 2014, we had formed a committee for board certification in pediatric ID and discussed the fundamentals of the board certification system, including the goals, requirements for designated training institutions, provisional certification of pediatric ID specialists and eligibility for and content of the board certification examination. After approval from 31 programs, the pediatric ID programs started in 2017 with 8 fellows in 7 programs.

Guidelines for the Management of Respiratory Infectious Diseases in Children in Japan 2022.

The members of the Japanese Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases and the Japanese Society of Pediatric Pulmonology have developed Guidelines for the Management of Respiratory Infectious Diseases in Children with the objective of facilitating appropriate diagnosis, treatment and prevention of respiratory infections in children. The first edition was published in 2004 and the fifth edition was published in 2022. The Guideline 2022 consists of 2 parts, clinical questions and commentary, and includes general respiratory infections and specific infections in children with underlying diseases and severe infections.

Large-scale questionnaire survey of parents and guardians on antimicrobial resistance using group health checkups for infants and toddlers in Japan.

Background: It is important to improve the knowledge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among parents and guardians, to promote AMR stewardship in pediatrics. However, a large-scale survey on parents' knowledge and awareness of AMR has not yet been conducted in Japan. Furthermore, the current status of knowledge and awareness is unknown.

Pediatric Parapneumonic Effusion/Pleural Empyema in Japan: A Nationwide Survey.

Background: Pediatric parapneumonic effusion/ pleural empyema (PPE/PE) is a severe infectious condition, and its management should be guided by local epidemiology and the patient's medical history. This survey aimed to determine the clinical and bacteriologic features of PPE/PE in Japan.

Methods: A nationwide retrospective questionnaire survey was conducted, targeting 159 pediatric specialist training medical facilities for inpatients ≤18 years of age who were admitted for PPE/PE between January 2007 and December 2016.

Pneumococcal serotype-specific IgG and opsonophagocytic activity in young Japanese patients with asplenia.

Patients with asplenia are at high risks of severe infections caused by encapsulated bacteria, particularly . Thirteen-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) and 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) are recommended for invasive pneumococcal disease prevention; however, little is known about the immunity to pneumococci in young patients with asplenia. We measured pneumococcal serotype-specific IgG (Pn-IgG) levels and pneumococcal opsonophagocytic activity (Pn-OPA) against some PCV13-contained serotypes (1, 3, 5, 6A, 7 F, 19A) in 23 young patients with asplenia using surplus serum samples.

Pin tract infection caused by Mycobacterium neoaurum in a 14-year-old child: A case report.

Although rapidly growing non-tuberculosis mycobacterium can occasionally cause postoperative infections, Mycobacterium neoaurum is a rare pathogen of surgical site infection. We report a case of pin tract infection caused by M. neoaurum in a 14-year-old girl who was admitted for lengthening of her right fourth metatarsal bone.

Emergence of Haemophilus influenzae with low susceptibility to quinolones isolated from pediatric patients in Japan.

Introduction: In 2010, oral fluoroquinolone tosufloxacin (TFX) granules were released as the first oral respiratory quinolone for children in Japan.

Methods: To investigate the recent trend of H. influenzae strains with low susceptibility to quinolones in children, we analyzed the gene sequences of quinolone resistance-determining regions (QRDRs) of gyrA, gyrB, parC, and parE of 23 clinical isolates from 15 patients aged <15 years with an MIC of ≥0.

Nationwide surveillance of bacterial pathogens isolated from children conducted by the surveillance committee of Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and the Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology in 2017: General overview of pathogenic antimicrobial susceptibility.

A nationwide surveillance of the antimicrobial susceptibility of pediatric patients to bacterial pathogens was conducted by Japanese Society of Chemotherapy, the Japanese Association for Infectious Diseases, and the Japanese Society for Clinical Microbiology in Japan in 2017. The isolates were collected from 18 medical facilities between March 2017 and May 2018 by the three societies. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted at the central laboratory (Infection Control Research Center, Kitasato University, Tokyo) according to the methods recommended by the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute.

Bacteriological analysis of Neisseria lactamica isolated from the respiratory tract in Japanese children.

Introduction: Neisseria lactamica is a commensal bacterium of the upper respiratory tract in humans and is closely related to Neisseria meningitidis. N. lactamica colonization may contribute to preventing N.

Haemophilus influenzae type b capsular polysaccharide antibody levels in Japanese young patients with hematological malignancies and asplenia.

Individuals with immunosuppressive condition have a high risk of invasive Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) infection. In Japan, routine Hib vaccination program for children under 5 years old was introduced in December 2008. However, the national policy does not make provision for individuals aged ≥5 years who have medical conditions associated with a high risk of invasive Hib disease to receive Hib vaccine.

Identification of serotype e strains missing the gene in clinical isolates from Japan.

. Certain nontypeable cannot be assigned a sequence type (ST) by Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) due to the lack of the gene, one of seven MLST loci in , which encodes a fucose-operon enzyme..

Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative Bacterial Bloodstream Infections in Children's Hospitals in Japan, 2010-2017.

Background: The risk factors of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Gram-negative bacilli (GNB) bloodstream infection (BSI) are not yet known in children. Our aim was to evaluate risk factors and outcomes associated with MDR GNB BSI in children.

Methods: Patients with GNB BSI were enrolled between April 2010 and March 2017 at 8 children's hospitals in Japan.

Isolation Rate of Neisseria meningitidis in Japanese Children with Respiratory Tract Infections.

Although invasive meningococcal disease is rare in Japan (0.028 cases per 100,000 population), its incidence is 10 times greater in many other countries. Colonization is a prerequisite for invasive meningococcal disease.

Emergence of quinolone-resistant strains in Streptococcus pneumoniae isolated from paediatric patients since the approval of oral fluoroquinolones in Japan.

Tosufloxacin (TFLX) is a fluoroquinolone antimicrobial agent. TFLX granules for children were initially released in Japan in 2010 to treat otitis media and pneumonia caused by drug-resistant bacteria, e.g.

Analysis of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae isolated from middle ear fluid before and after the introduction of government subsidies for pneumococcal and H. influenzae type b vaccines in Japan.

This study aimed to identify trends in frequency, serotype, and antimicrobial susceptibility of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae isolated from middle ear fluid specimens of children aged≤15 years (mean, 2 years), before and after the introduction of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) and the H. influenzae type b vaccine, at a pediatric facility in Japan. Sixty-six S.

[Pediatric Patient with anaerobic Bacterial Meningitis Who was Infected through a Spinal Congenital Dermal Sinus Route].

We report the case of a pediatric patient in whom a spinal congenital dermal sinus was detected after the onset of anaerobic bacterial meningitis. The patient was a 4-month-old boy. He had a recurrent fever for 2 weeks before admission.

Development and Evaluation of a New Creatine Kinase MB Mass Determination Assay Using a Latex Agglutination Turbidimetric Immunoassay with an Automated Analyzer.

Background: The diagnosis of myocardial infraction (MI) in patients presenting to the emergency department represents a clinical challenge. It is known that creatine kinase-MB isoenzyme (CK-MB) is present in soluble cell fractions of cardiac muscle, and injury to those cells results in an increase of CK-MB in the blood. Therefore, CK-MB is a suitable clinical biomarker of myocardial infraction.

[Analysis of Non-serotype b Encapsulated Haemophilus influenzae Isolated from Pediatric Patients].

We analyzed non-serotype b encapsulated Haemophilus influenzae (non-b Hi) isolated from pediatric patients at Chiba Children's Hospital during 2000-2012. Among 3,532 clinical isolates of H. influenzae, there were 57 (1.

Analysis of Haemophilus influenzae serotype f isolated from three Japanese children with invasive H. influenzae infection.

In Japan, publicly subsidized Haemophilus influenzae serotype b vaccines became available in 2011; consequently, the incidence of invasive H. influenzae infection in paediatric patients of less than 5 years of age decreased dramatically. In 2013, the first case of H.