Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal

The tests currently used for the direct identification of SARS-CoV-2 include specimens taken from the upper and the lower respiratory tract. In our paediatric department all children undergo both nasopharyngeal swab and nasopharyngeal aspirate, performed from both nostrils, on admission and after 24 hours. We decided to compare these two methods of detection of SARS-CoV-2. Considering nasopharyngeal aspirate as the gold standard, we calculated sensitivities and specificities of nasopharyngeal ...

ObjectiveThis scoping review aims to assess the evidence regarding miRNA associations with paediatric bacterial and viral infections. IntroductionFebrile children present a challenge in emergency care, often leading to unnecessary antibiotics due to difficulty distinguishing bacterial from viral infections. Current biomarkers lack specificity, contributing to diagnostic uncertainty and antimicrobial resistance. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), detectable in blood and responsive to disease, show promise as i...

BackgroundWith the rise of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new severe life-threatening inflammatory syndrome has been reported in some pediatric populations. Global attention was shifted towards the syndrome termed multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), with new case reports flooding in. ObjectivesThe aim of this scoping review is to summarize the existing reports on MIS-C and focus on the demographics, diagnosis, clinical presentation, laboratory investigations, imaging studies, treat...

The tests currently used for the direct identification of SARS-CoV-2 include specimens taken from upper and lower respiratory tract; recommendations from Word Health Organization prioritise nasopharyngeal swab (NS). In literature there are not available paediatric studies about the identification of SARS-CoV-2 through nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA), but the use of NPA is deemed to be better than NS to identify respiratory viruses in children. The aim of our study is to evaluate diagnostic perform...

In 2021, 273 Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever cases have been reported nationwide. In Chihuahua City, fourteen samples were obtained from children suspected of rickettsial infection. The analysis of samples collected from January to December 2021 showed a prevalence of 28.5%, 43% and 28.5% for Rickettsia rickettsii, Ehrlichia canis, and both pathogens in coinfection, respectively. The analysis of clinical hematological and biochemistry analytes showed alterations such as 100% of the children coursed...

There is increasing reporting by patients organization and researchers of long covid (or post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 - PASC), characterized by symptoms such as fatigue, dyspnea, chest pain, cognitive and sleeping disturbances, arthralgia and decline in quality of life. Immune system dysregulation with a hyperinflammatory state, direct viral toxicity, endothelial damage and microvascular injury have been proposed as pathologenic mechanisms. Recently, cohorts of children with PASC have been ...

ImportanceIn April 2020, multiple reports of an association between a hyperinflammatory, Kawasaki-like condition and SARS-CoV-2 were published and termed as pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS) or multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS). A thorough characterization of this syndrome (demographics, presentation, diagnosis, and outcome) is currently lacking. ObjectiveWe aimed to perform a systematic review of published cases of this novel multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children...

ContextThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak is an unprecedented global public health challenge, leading to thousands of deaths every day worldwide. Despite the epidemiological importance, clinical patterns of children with COVID-19 remain unclear. ObjectiveTo describe the clinical, laboratorial and radiological characteristics of children with COVID-19. Data SourcesThe Medline database was searched between December 1st 2019 and March 30th 2020. Study SelectionInclusion criteria we...

Recently, numerous reports have suggested association of pediatric Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and Kawasaki Disease (KD). KD is a major cause of childhood acquired heart disease and vasculitis in the pediatric population. Epidemiological patterns suggest KD is related to an infectious agent; however, the etiology remains unknown1. As past reports have considered other coronaviruses to be related to KD2,3, these reports of pediatric COVID-19 related inflammatory disorder cases leads...

IntroductionCentral line-associated bloodstream-infection (CLA-BSI) and catheter-related bloodstream infections (CR-BSI) remain a significant concern in pediatric inpatient units. ObjectiveTo analyze a case series of CLA-BSI and CR-BSI in hospitalized pediatric patients in hospitals with rigorous infection prevention measures. Materials and MethodsThis was an analytical, descriptive, and retrospective study conducted in patients aged 0 to 18 years, admitted between August 2023 and March 2025, ...

BackgroundTo investigate the etiology and clinical characteristics of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) among children requiring bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and analyze the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the pathogen spectrum and clinical manifestations. MethodsChildren <14 years old hospitalized with CAP requiring BLA were enrolled between February 2019 to January 2020 and August 2021 to July 2022. Multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (mRT-...

Although COVID-19 pediatric patients just account for 1% of the overall cases, they are nonnegligible invisible infection sources. We quantitatively analyzed the clinical and epidemiological features of 82 confirmed cases aged 0-16 admitted to Wuhan Childrens Hospital, which are expected to shed some lights onto the pediatric diagnosis and therapy.

BackgroundMulti-system inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) represents one of the most severe post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children, and there is a critical need to characterize its disease patterns for improved recognition and management. Our objective was to characterize subphenotypes of MIS-C based on presentation, demographics and laboratory parameters. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study of children with MIS-C from March 1, 2020 - April 30, 2022 and care...

BackgroundTo date, there are no comprehensive data on pediatric COVID-19 from Latin America. This study aims to assess COVID-19 and Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) in Latin American children, in order to appropriately plan and allocate resources to face the pandemic on a local and International lever MethodsAmbispective multicentre cohort study from five Latin American countries. Children aged 18 years or younger with microbiologically confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection were included. Fi...

BackgroundThe SARS-CoV-2 virus may affect both adults and children. Although the disease, named COVID-19, has a lower prevalence in infancy and has been described as mild, the clinical characteristics may vary and there is a possibility of complications. ObjectivesTo describe the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of pediatric cases confirmed in the state of Sinaloa, Mexico, during the first three months of the pandemic, and of children admitted with COVID-19 to a secondary hospital. ...

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children temporally associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (MIS-C), a novel hyperinflammatory condition secondary to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection, is associated with severe outcomes such as coronary artery aneurysm and death. This multicenter, retrospective, observational cohort study including eight centers in Mexico, aimed to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with MIS-C. Patient data w...

Respiratory exacerbations are a frequent cause of hospitalisation in children with severe neurodisability (ND). Direct aspiration of food/saliva, reflux aspiration of gastric contents or a combination of both is thought to be a common cause of respiratory symptoms and disease, particularly when this occurs silently. A number of aspiration biomarkers, including bile acids and pepsin, have been proposed, however, no gold-standard diagnostic tests are currently available. In children with severe N...

ObjectivesWe aimed to measure SARS-CoV-2 serologic responses in children hospitalized with multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) compared to COVID-19, Kawasaki Disease (KD) and other hospitalized pediatric controls. MethodsFrom March 17, 2020 - May 26, 2020, we prospectively identified hospitalized children at Childrens Healthcare of Atlanta with MIS-C (n=10), symptomatic PCR-confirmed COVID-19 (n=10), KD (n=5), and hospitalized controls (n=4). With IRB approval, we obtained prospective and...

AimTo describe the trends of RT-PCR positive SARS-CoV-2 rates in children and adults according to the time of COVID-19 epidemic. MethodsIn this prospective multicenter study involving 45 pediatric units, we collected the results of nasopharyngeal swabs in France from March 2, 2020 to April 26, 2020. ResultsDuring the study period, 52,588 RT-PCR tests for SARS-CoV-2 were performed, 6,490 in children and 46,098 in adults. The risk ratio of RT-PCR positive SARS-CoV-2 tests for adults compared to ...

Reducing procedural discomfort for children requiring respiratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 is important in supporting testing strategies for case identification. Alternative sampling methods to nose and throat swabs, which can be self-collected, may reduce laboratory-based testing requirements and provide rapid results for clearance to attend school or hospital settings. The aim of this study was to compare preference and diagnostic sensitivity of a novel anterior nasal swab (ANS), and saliva, wit...