Infectious Diseases

Although skin and soft tissue infections can be deadly, most heal by themselves without antibiotics, say new practice guidelines from the Infectious Diseases Society of America.

To enhance understanding of the association between infection with Clostridium difficile and disease caused by this bacterium, investigators conducted population-based C difficile infection (CDI) surveillance in children aged 1 to 17 years residing in 10 US geographic areas during a 1-year period.

An elevated level of serum procalcitonin (PCT) in an infant with acute bronchiolitis should raise a clinician’s suspicions that the child may have a bacterial coinfection, a new study indicates.

Don’t let mild early symptoms delay diagnosis of Kingella kingae osteoarticular infections.

Parenting influences the success of African American boys as they transition from preschool to kindergarten, according to a new study.

Guidelines for preventing and treating HIV/AIDS-related opportunistic infections (OIs) in children recently received a facelift. Government agencies and industry associations banded together to update recommendations previously published in 2009.

Children of persistent smokers are much more likely to smoke.

Acute otitis media (AOM) and acute bacterial sinusitis (ABM) are 2 of the most common infections affecting young children. They are also 2 of the most frequent medications for antibiotic therapy in a pediatric practice, and, as such, have been the focus of scrutiny as a source of antibiotic overuse.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released its guidance for influenza vaccination during the 2013-2014 influenza season. As always, AAP recommends that all children and adolescents aged 6 months and older receive either the trivalent or quadrivalent influenza vaccine, and children should be immunized as soon as the vaccine becomes available.

Do sick-visit immunizations dampen parental incentive to return for missed well-baby examinations?

Most pediatric burns are small and can be managed by primary care physicians. However, knowing when to contact a local burn center for assessment and treatment of burn injuries can minimize adverse outcomes and optimize care for the burn-injured child.

The role that school-aged children play in the spread of influenza to their families and the community continues to be undervalued.

Influenza-associated neurologic complications in children are rare but can be severe. Familiarity with the clinical presentation and frequency of specific neurologic findings can help pediatricians with early diagnosis and treatment.

It seems a window exists for introducing solid foods to infants that minimizes the risk of type 1 diabetes mellitus in children at increased genetic risk for the disease.

The United States Food and Drug Administration approved a new quadrivalent version of a flu vaccine. At present, it is the only quadrivalent vaccine available for children as young as 6 months.

IOM advises sustained federal commitment to research on schedule safety

Community-acquired methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) appears to show a preference for summer months, putting children at greater risk for soft-tissue infection especially during July and August.

A study in 123 children aged from 6 to 48 months with atraumatic osteoarticular symptoms confirmed investigators’ hypothesis that oropharyngeal carriage of Kingella kingae in children aged younger than 48 months with acute osteoarticular infection (AOI) is strong evidence that this microorganism is responsible.

Bathing children who are hospitalized in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) with chlorhexidine solution once daily can reduce their risk of bloodstream infections, according to a study from Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

Twenty-nine children have died in the influenza outbreak that now is widespread in 48 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The pediatric deaths so far compare with 122 that occurred during last year’s flu season.

The 2012-2013 influenza season has not yet reached its halfway point, but already 18 pediatric deaths have been reported nationwide. A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that despite expanded vaccine recommendations, many young children are not sufficiently protected against seasonal influenza.

A retrospective study in more than 1,000 well-appearing infants aged younger than 3 months with fever without a source (FWS_ found that procalcitonin (PCT) performs better than C-reactive protein (CRP) in identifying patients with invasive bacterial infections (IBIs), which are positive bacterial cultures of cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) or blood, and seems to be the best marker for ruling out IBIs.

A study of 17 adult patients with culture-confirmed episode of erythema migrans-whose first bout with Lyme disease was treated appropriately with standard courses of antibiotics-found that additional consecutive episodes of erythema migrans were due to reinfection, not relapse.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has endorsed the recommendation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization to retain the use of thimerosal as a preservative in vaccines.