Kingella kingae infections can cluster among young children in close contact

Abstract

Over the last few decades Kingella kingae has ascended in the family of pathogenic bacteria from a rare cause of endocarditis to a relatively common cause of osteoarticular infections in children younger than 4 years of age. Fastidious nature of growth in culture likely hampered establishing the organism's rightful place among infectious diseases in children. Molecular diagnostic techniques now available will permit a better assessment of the role(s) of K kingae in an expected wider spectrum of infections and across continents. To date, much of what is known of the clinical epidemiology of disease and colonization patterns in young children are from studies in Israel. In this issue of The Journal, Yagupsky et al add another Kingella insight from studying daycares in relatively close communities in Israel in which contact is intense. They found clustering of disease, in association with clonal spread of presumably more pathogenic strains, and high oropharyngeal transmissibility among colleagues under 24 months of age. Article page 135▶ Outbreaks of Invasive Kingella kingae Infections in Closed CommunitiesThe Journal of PediatricsVol. 169PreviewTo describe the results of the epidemiologic investigation of outbreaks of invasive Kingella kingae infections among attendees at daycare facilities located in 4 closed communities in Israel. Full-Text PDF