Bacterial Pneumonia In Children Research Articles

Differentiating Viral from Bacterial Pneumonia in Children: The Diagnostic Role of Lung Ultrasound-A Prospective Observational Study.

This prospective observational study aimed to investigate the utility of lung ultrasound (LUS) in diagnosing and managing pediatric respiratory infections, specifically focusing on viral, bacterial, and SARS-CoV-2 infections. Conducted over a period of 1 year and 8 months, this research involved 85 pediatric patients (showcasing a median age of 14 months) recruited based on specific criteria, including age, confirmed infection through multiplex PCR tests, and willingness to undergo LUS imaging. This study employed a 12-area scoring system for LUS examinations, utilizing the lung ultrasound score (LUSS) to evaluate lung abnormalities. The PCR examination results reveal diverse respiratory pathogens, with SARS-CoV-2, influenza, and bacterial co-infections being prominent among the cases. As an observational study, this study was not registered in the registry. Distinct LUS patterns associated with different pathogens were identified, showcasing the discriminatory potential of LUS in differentiating between viral and bacterial etiologies. Bacterial infections demonstrated more severe lung involvement, evident in significantly higher LUSS values compared with viral cases (p < 0.0001). The specific abnormalities found in bacterial superinfection can be integrated into diagnostic and management protocols for pediatric respiratory infections. Overall, this research contributes valuable insights into optimizing LUS as a diagnostic tool in pediatric pneumonia, facilitating more informed and tailored healthcare decisions.

Treatment of complicated bacterial pneumonia in children

Introduction: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the most common infectious diseases in pediatrics, and may be related to the direct occurrence of local complications such as empyema, necrotizing pneumonia, lung abscess or pleural effusion, which are directly related to worsening of the clinical aspect and prolongation of the hospitalization period. Methodology: A narrative review of the literature was carried out in the PUBMED database, using the following keywords: “Bacterial pneumonia in children”, “Complicated Pneumonia” and “Treatment”, with the time filter for the last 5 years (2019-2023). Results: From the research carried out, 408 articles were identified, of which, after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 12 were selected for analysis. Discussion: The main complications are related to specific complementary exams and assertive surgical or antimicrobial therapies that seek to avoid mortality, exacerbation of other complications and reduce hospitalization time and associated morbidities. Conclusion: Knowledge about the complications of community-acquired pneumonia, particularly its course of development and its propaedeutic approach, helps to alleviate the difficulties of the clinical context and provide more security to the doctor in his/her healthcare assistance to the patient.

Community-acquired pneumonia. Current treatment regimens in pediatric practice

At the moment, an increase in the incidence of community-acquired pneumonia is quite an urgent problem. Its solution is based on the use of adequate antibacterial therapy, which will help significantly reduce the spread of the disease among children included in the risk group.&#x0D; Goal: Conducting a comprehensive assessment of etiological therapy tactics for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia in children and determining their compliance with modern clinical recommendations.&#x0D; Materials and methods: The study was conducted on the basis of the Voronezh Childrens Clinical Hospital of the Voronezh State Medical University named after N.N. Burdenko. A retrospective analysis of 18 case histories of patients aged 3 to 14 years who were treated from October 2021 to March 2022 with a diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia of moderate severity was carried out.&#x0D; Results: During the analysis of the medical histories of children diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia, it was found that the diagnosis of the patients condition was complete and sufficient in each of the cases considered, with the exception of the absence of sputum in terms of bacteriological examination, because the treatment was more empirical in nature, directed against the frequently detected pathogen determining the formation of this nosological form S. rpeimopiae.&#x0D; Conclusion: As a result of a comprehensive assessment of the tactics of etiological therapy of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia in children, it was revealed that effective antibiotic therapy was chosen for all patients in accordance with the severity of the disease and instructions for the use of antibacterial drugs, which led to the gradual elimination of clinical symptoms of community-acquired pneumonia.

A Deep Learning Model for the Diagnosis and Discrimination of Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacterial Pneumonia for Children Using Chest Radiography Images and Clinical Information.

This study aimed to develop a deep learning model based on chest radiography (CXR) images and clinical data to accurately classify gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial pneumonia in children to guide the use of antibiotics. We retrospectively collected CXR images along with clinical information for gram-positive (n=447) and gram-negative (n=395) bacterial pneumonia in children from January 1, 2016, to June 30, 2021. Four types of machine learning models based on clinical data and six types of deep learning algorithm models based on image data were constructed, and multi-modal decision fusion was performed. In the machine learning models, CatBoost, which only used clinical data, had the best performance; its area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was significantly higher than that of the other models (P<0.05). The incorporation of clinical information improved the performance of deep learning models that relied solely on image-based classification. Consequently, AUC and F1 increased by 5.6% and 10.2% on average, respectively. The best quality was achieved with ResNet101 (model accuracy: 0.75, recall rate: 0.84, AUC: 0.803, F1: 0.782). Our study established a pediatric bacterial pneumonia model that utilizes CXR and clinical data to accurately classify cases of gram-negative and gram-positive bacterial pneumonia. The results confirmed that the addition of image data to the convolutional neural network model significantly improved its performance. While the CatBoost-based classifier had greater advantages owing to a smaller dataset, the quality of the Resnet101 model trained using multi-modal data was comparable to that of the CatBoost model, even with a limited number of samples.

Febrile Children with Pneumonia Have Higher Nasopharyngeal Bacterial Load Than Other Children with Fever.

Febrile episodes are common in children and the most frequent reason for attending emergency services. Although most infections have a benign and self-limiting course, severe and sometimes life-threatening infections occur. This prospective study describes a cohort of children presenting to a single-centre pediatric emergency department (ED) with suspected invasive bacterial infection, and explores the relationships between nasopharyngeal microbes and outcomes. All children attending the ED who had a blood culture taken were offered to participate over a two-year period. In addition to conventional medical care, a nasopharyngeal swab was obtained., which was analysed for respiratory viruses and three bacterial species using a quantitative PCR. Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon rank sum, and multivariable models were used for statistical analyses of the 196 children (75% younger than four years) who were enrolled and had sufficient data for analysis; 92 had severe infections according to the study protocol, while five had bloodstream infections. Radiologically confirmed pneumonia was the most common severe infection found in 44/92 patients. The presence of respiratory viruses and the carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae were associated with a higher risk of pneumonia. Higher density colonisation with these bacteria were independent risk factors for pneumonia, whereas Moraxella catarrhalis carriage was associated with lower risk. Our data support the hypothesis that higher nasopharyngeal density of pneumococci and H. influenzae could play a role in the development of bacterial pneumonia in children. A preceding viral infection of the respiratory tract may be a trigger and play a role in the progression to severe lower respiratory tract infection.

Improved targeting of the 16S rDNA nanopore sequencing method enables rapid pathogen identification in bacterial pneumonia in children.

To develop a rapid and low-cost method for 16S rDNA nanopore sequencing. This was a prospective study on a 16S rDNA nanopore sequencing method. We developed this nanopore barcoding 16S sequencing method by adding barcodes to the 16S primer to reduce the reagent cost and simplify the experimental procedure. Twenty-one common pulmonary bacteria (7 reference strains, 14 clinical isolates) and 94 samples of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from children with severe pneumonia were tested. Results indicating low-abundance pathogenic bacteria were verified with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Further, the results were compared with those of culture or PCR. The turnaround time was shortened to 6~8 hours and the reagent cost of DNA preparation was reduced by employing a single reaction adding barcodes to the 16S primer in advance. The accuracy rate for the 21 common pulmonary pathogens with an abundance ≥ 99% was 100%. Applying the culture or PCR results as the gold standard, 71 (75.5%) of the 94 patients were positive, including 25 positive cultures (26.6%) and 52 positive quantitative PCRs (55.3%). The median abundance in the positive culture and qPCR samples were 29.9% and 6.7%, respectively. With an abundance threshold increase of 1%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%, the test sensitivity decreased gradually to 98.6%, 84.9%, 72.6%, 67.1% and 64.4%, respectively, and the test specificity increased gradually to 33.3%, 71.4%, 81.0%, 90.5% and 100.0%, respectively. The nanopore barcoding 16S sequencing method can rapidly identify the pathogens causing bacterial pneumonia in children.

1325. Macrolide versus Non-macrolide in Combination with Steroids for the Treatment of Lobar or Segmental Mycoplasma Pneumoniae Pneumonia Unresponsive to Initial Macrolide Monotherapy

Abstract Background Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is one of the most common causes of bacterial pneumonia in children. In the recent decade, macrolide-resistant MP (MRMP) has been increasing in proportion, leading to children unresponsive to initial macrolide therapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of children with lobar or segmental MP pneumonia unresponsive to initial macrolide therapy, who received non-macrolide (NM), macrolide plus steroids (M+S), and non-macrolide plus steroids (NM+S) according to the 2019 guideline during the 2019-2020 Mycoplasma epidemic in South Korea. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of children below 18 years old, admitted during the 2019-2020 MP outbreak for lobar or segmental MP pneumonia. The inclusion criteria were as follows: 1) sputum or nasopharyngeal swab MP PCR positive, 2) no history of pneumonia within one month of positive MP PCR, 3) lobar or segmental pneumonia on chest x-ray, and 4) initial treatment with macrolide monotherapy. Children that were unresponsive to the initial 3-5-day macrolide monotherapy were divided into 3 groups depending on the next regimen: NM, M+S, and NM+S group. Their outcomes were assessed. Results During May 2019 to March 2020 MP epidemic, a total 190 patients that fit all of the inclusion criteria were included as study participants. Of these, 16.8% (n=32/190) were responsive to initial macrolide monotherapy and 83.2% (158/190) were unresponsive. Of the 158 patients unresponsive during the initial 5-day macrolide therapy, 8.2% (n=13) were switched to a NM, 75.9% (n=120) were added steroids (M+S), and 15.8% (25/158) were switched to a non-macrolide plus steroids (NM+S). Treatment success rates were 46%, 81%, and 100% in the NM, M+S, and NM+S groups, respectively (P=0.001). Compared to patients in the NM+S group, those in the M+S group were 8.0 (Confidence interval [CI], 1.3-61.7; P=0.046) times more likely to have prolonged fever ≥4 days after the switch in treatment regimen compared to patients with NM+S, and 10.7 (CI, 1.5-108.7; P=0.046) times more likely in the NM group. Conclusion In patients with severe mycoplasma pneumonia with failure of response to initial macrolide therapy, a non-macrolide antibiotic plus steroid combination had the highest treatment success rate and shorter duration of fever. Disclosures All Authors: No reported disclosures.

Values of combined C-reactive protein, procalcitonin and serum amyloid A in differential diagnosis of bacterial and non-bacterial community acquired pneumonia in children

This research aimed to explore the clinical value of C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and serum amyloid A (SAA) in early diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia. CRP, PCT, and SAA levels of children with bacterial pneumonia, children with non-bacterial pneumonia, and healthy children were compared. The sensitivity and specificity of CRP, PCT, and SAA in the diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia in children were compared. CRP, PCT, and SAA levels were significantly lower in healthy children when compared with children with Community acquired pneumonia (CAP). ROC analyses showed that CRP, PCT, and SAA all had good accuracy in distinguishing bacterial pneumonia from non-bacterial pneumonia. The combination of CRP, PCT, and SAA further enhanced the accuracy in distinguishing bacterial pneumonia from non-bacterial pneumonia. In conclusion, the expression levels of CRP, PCT, and SAA could indicate the status of bacterial pneumonia. The combined test of CRP, PCT, and SAA had the highest diagnostic accuracy.

Systematic review and meta-analysis on the etiology of bacterial pneumonia in children in sub-Saharan Africa.

IntroductionBefore the introduction of vaccination to protect children from pneumonia, Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type B (HiB) were the most frequent aetiological agents causing bacterial pneumonia in children under five years old. However, the etiology of childhood pneumonia appears to be changing and nonvaccine- type S. pneumoniae, non-typeable H. influenzae, and Staphylococcus aureus are becoming more relevant.ObjectiveWe conducted a systematic review aimed at identifying the common causes of bacterial pneumonia in children in sub-Saharan Africa.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Web of Science and African Index Medicus and included primary studies conducted since January 2010 that reported on the bacterial causes of pneumonia in children under five from sub-Saharan Africa. We extracted data items (about the study setting, pneumonia diagnosis, sampling, microbiological methods, and etiological agents) as well as study quality indicators.ResultsStreptococcus pneumoniae was the most common bacteria in blood cultures from children with pneumonia (8%, 95% CI: 4-14%), and H. influenzae was second (3%, 95% CI: 1-17%). Children’s nasopharynx commonly contained S. pneumoniae (66%), Moraxella catarrhalis (62%), and H. influenzae (44%).ConclusionS. pneumoniae and H. influenzae cause bacterial pneumonia in sub-Saharan African children. Our review also highlights the prevalence of potentially pathogenic bacteria in the nasopharynx of children under five and calls for more research into how nasopharyngeal colonization causes pneumonia.

Non-capsular based immunization approaches to prevent Streptococcus pneumoniae infection.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a Gram-positive bacterium and the leading cause of bacterial pneumonia in children and the elderly worldwide. Currently, two types of licensed vaccines are available to prevent the disease caused by this pathogen: the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide-based vaccine and the 7-, 10, 13, 15 and 20-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. However, these vaccines, composed of the principal capsular polysaccharide of leading serotypes of this bacterium, have some problems, such as high production costs and serotype-dependent effectiveness. These drawbacks have stimulated research initiatives into non-capsular-based vaccines in search of a universal vaccine against S. pneumoniae. In the last decades, several research groups have been developing various new vaccines against this bacterium based on recombinant proteins, live attenuated bacterium, inactivated whole-cell vaccines, and other newer platforms. Here, we review and discuss the status of non-capsular vaccines against S. pneumoniae and the future of these alternatives in a post-pandemic scenario.

Duration of treatment for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia in children

Duration of treatment for community-acquired bacterial pneumonia in children

Lung Ultrasound and Neutrophil Lymphocyte Ratio in Early Diagnosis and Differentiation between Viral and Bacterial Pneumonia in Young Children.

Lung ultrasound (LUS) is a crucial diagnostic tool for identifying pneumonia in the pediatric age group. However, it plays a limited role in the early distinction between viral and bacterial pneumonia in children. The objectives of our study were to determine if LUS and the neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were useful in identifying and distinguishing between viral and bacterial pneumonia in Egyptian children under the age of two. Within the first 12 h of being admitted to our department, 52 children with clinical symptoms and signs suggestive of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) underwent LUS and the NLR. LUS and the NLR strongly differentiated children with viral from those with bacterial pneumonia. For the early diagnosis and differentiation between viral and bacterial pneumonia in young Egyptian children, LUS was proven to be a noninvasive and reliable method. Combining the NLR with LUS increased the diagnostic accuracy when evaluating children suspected of having pneumonia.

Effect of the of 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in Nepal 4 years after introduction: an observational cohort study

In Nepal, Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a common cause of bacterial pneumonia in children, and is a major health concern. There are few data on the effect of vaccination on the disease or colonisation with pneumococci in the nasopharynx of children in this setting. The 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV10) was introduced into the routine infant immunisation schedule in Nepal in 2015. We aimed to investigate the effect of the introduction of PCV10 on pneumococcal carriage and disease in children in Nepal. We did an observational cohort study in children in Nepal. The hospital surveillance study took place in Patan Hospital, Kathmandu, and community studies in healthy children took place in Kathmandu and Okhaldhunga district. For the surveillance study, all children admitted to Patan Hospital between March 20, 2014, and Dec 31, 2019, aged between 2 months and 14 years with clinician-suspected pneumonia, were eligible for enrolment. For the community study, healthy children aged 0-8 weeks, 6-23 months, and 24-59 months were recruited from Kathmandu, and healthy children aged 6-23 months were recruited from Okhaldhunga. We assessed the programmatic effect of PCV10 introduction using surveillance for nasopharyngeal colonisation, pneumonia, and invasive bacterial disease from 1·5 years before vaccine introduction and 4·5 years after vaccine introduction. For the surveillance study, nasopharyngeal swabs, blood cultures, and chest radiographs were obtained from children admitted to Patan Hospital with suspected pneumonia or invasive bacterial disease. For the community study, nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained from healthy children in the urban and rural settings. Pneumonia outcomes were analysed using log-binomial models and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) comparing each calendar year after the introduction of the vaccine into the national programme with the pre-vaccine period (2014-15), adjusted for calendar month, age, and sex. Between March 20, 2014, and Dec 31, 2019, we enrolled 2051 children with suspected pneumonia, and 11 354 healthy children (8483 children aged 6-23 months, 761 aged 24-59 months, and 2110 aged 0-8 weeks) to assess nasopharyngeal colonisation. Among clinical pneumonia cases younger than 2 years, vaccine serotype carriage declined 82% (aPR 0·18 [95% CI 0·07-0·50]) by 2019. There was no decrease in vaccine serotype carriage in cases among older unvaccinated age groups. Carriage of the additional serotypes in PCV13 was 2·2 times higher by 2019 (aPR 2·17 [95% CI 1·16-4·05]), due to increases in serotypes 19A and 3. Vaccine serotype carriage in healthy children declined by 75% in those aged 6-23 months (aPR 0·25 [95% CI 0·19-0·33]) but not in those aged 24-59 months (aPR 0·59 [0·29-1·19]). A decrease in overall vaccine serotype carriage of 61% by 2019 (aPR 0·39 [95% CI 0·18-0·85]) was also observed in children younger than 8 weeks who were not yet immunised. Carriage of the additional PCV13 serotypes in children aged 6-23 months increased after PCV10 introduction for serotype 3 and 19A, but not for serotype 6A. The proportion of clinical pneumonia cases with endpoint consolidation on chest radiographs declined from 41% in the pre-vaccine period to 25% by 2018, but rose again in 2019 to 36%. The introduction of the PCV10 vaccine into the routine immunisation programme in Nepal has reduced vaccine serotype carriage in both healthy children and children younger than 2 years with pneumonia. Increases in serotypes 19A and 3 highlight the importance of continued surveillance to monitor the effect of vaccine programmes. This analysis demonstrates a robust approach to assessing vaccine effect in situations in which pneumococcal disease endpoint effectiveness studies are not possible. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the World Health Organization.

Effect of the Pneumococcal Conjugated Vaccines on Burden of all Cause Pneumonia, Bacterial Pneumonia and Empyema in Children

The aim of this single-center retrospective study was to determine the changes in the burden of allcause pneumonia, bacterial pneumonia and empyema in children aged 0-18 years after the availability of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugated vaccine (PCV7) and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugated vaccine (PCV13) in our country. Children aged 0-18 years who were hospitalized with the diagnosis of pneumonia and treated in Ankara between January 1, 2006 and December 30, 2019 were included in the study. The burden of disease according to the years was calculated as follows: after determining the number of patients with all-cause pneumonia, bacterial pneumonia and the empyema who were admitted to the pediatric infectious diseases service, we divided those numbers to admission numbers to all outpatient clinics in that year as the ratio in 100 000. The years 2006-2007 were accepted as pre-vaccine period, 2009-2010 as PCV7 period and 2012-2019 as PCV13 period. As 2008 and 2011 were the years when PCV7 and PCV13 vaccines implemented into the routine vaccination schedule, they were accepted as transition years and the patient data from these years were not used. All of the patients data were obtained from the patient files. There was a significant decrease in the disease burden of all-cause pneumonia in 0-18 years age and 0-24 months age group after PCV13 period compared to PCV7 period (p<0.001 and p<0.001). A statistically significant decrease was found in all-cause pneumonia among children older than 60 months after PCV13 period compared to PCV7 period and pre-vaccine period (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). When pre-PCV13 (PCV7 and pre-vaccine periods together) and post-PCV13 periods were compared; in 0-18 years age, 0-24 months age and 24-60 months age groups, there was a significant decrease in the burden of disease due to all-cause pneumonia after PCV13 (p<0.001, p<0.001 and p<0.05) period. When the bacterial pneumonia disease burden in PCV13 period was evaluated, bacterial pneumonia disease burden in 0-18 years and 0-24 months age group was found to be significantly lower than in both pre-vaccine and PCV7 periods (p<0.001 and p<0.001). After PCV13 vaccine, the disease burden due to bacterial pneumonia was found to be significantly lower in 0-18 years age, 0-24 months age and older than 60 months age groups compared to pre-PCV13 period (p<0.001, p<0.001 and p<0.01). When PCV7 and PCV13 periods were compared in 0-18 years age group, a significant decrease was found in hospitalizations due to empyema after PCV13 (p<0.05). In conclusion, PCV7 and PCV13 led to a significant reduction in the incidence of all-cause pneumonia and bacterial pneumonia in children.

Severe Recurrent Bacterial Pneumonia Among Children Living With HIV.

Bacterial pneumonia imparts a major morbidity and mortality burden on children living with HIV, yet effective prevention and treatment options are underutilized. We explored clinical factors associated with severe recurrent bacterial pneumonia among children living with HIV. Children enrolled in the TREAT Asia Pediatric HIV Observational Database were included if they started antiretroviral therapy (ART) on or after January 1st, 2008. Factors associated with severe recurrent bacterial pneumonia were assessed using competing-risk regression. A total of 3,944 children were included in the analysis; 136 cases of severe recurrent bacterial pneumonia were reported at a rate of 6.5 [95% confidence interval (CI): 5.5-7.7] events per 1,000 patient-years. Clinical factors associated with severe recurrent bacterial pneumonia were younger age [adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio (aHR): 4.4 for <5 years versus ≥10 years, 95% CI: 2.2-8.4, P < 0.001], lower weight-for-age z-score (aHR: 1.5 for <-3.0 versus >-2.0, 95% CI: 1.1-2.3, P = 0.024), pre-ART diagnosis of severe recurrent bacterial pneumonia (aHR: 4.0 versus no pre-ART diagnosis, 95% CI: 2.7-5.8, P < 0.001), past diagnosis of symptomatic lymphoid interstitial pneumonitis or chronic HIV-associated lung disease, including bronchiectasis (aHR: 4.8 versus no past diagnosis, 95% CI: 2.8-8.4, P < 0.001), low CD4% (aHR: 3.5 for <10% versus ≥25%, 95% CI: 1.9-6.4, P < 0.001) and detectable HIV viral load (aHR: 2.6 versus undetectable, 95% CI: 1.2-5.9, P = 0.018). Children <10-years-old and those with low weight-for-age, a history of respiratory illness, low CD4% or poorly controlled HIV are likely to gain the greatest benefit from targeted prevention and treatment programs to reduce the burden of bacterial pneumonia in children living with HIV.

Clinical and laboratory features of the lower respiratory pathology caused by COVID-19 and bacterial pneumonia in children

Objective: Conducting comparative analysis of the clinical and laboratory features of the course of community-acquired bacterial pneumonia and pneumonia in the presence of laboratory-confirmed coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in children in Krasnoyarsk.Methods: A retrospective clinical and laboratory analysis of 68 medical histories of children having a laboratory-confirmed diagnosis of a new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) complicated by pneumonia (2020), as well as 52 medical histories of children having community-acquired bacterial pneumonia (2019) is presented.Results: More than half of the cases fall on children older than 7 years. Boys prevailed in both groups. The majority of children in group 1 had a moderate form of COVID-19 course. Cough is the most common symptom in children having bacterial pneumonia. Children having COVID-19 pneumonia had symptoms that were not present in children of group 2: headache – in 19.1% of cases, myalgia – 7.4%, various dyspeptic disorders. In more than 80% of cases of bacterial pneumonia, there were percussion sound dullness and local decreased breath sounds, and more frequent detection of adverse respiratory noises. Changes in the peripheral blood in children with COVID-19 were non-specific.Conclusions: Clinical course of pneumonia in the presence of laboratory-confirmed coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in children has its specific clinical features. The most common symptoms are headache, myalgia, dyspeptic disorders. Children with bacterial pneumonia were more likely to suffer from cough and a strongly marked intoxication syndrome.

Clinical value of blood related indexes in the diagnosis of bacterial infectious pneumonia in children

BackgroundThis study sought to explore the value of hematological indexes [i.e., the neutrophil count/lymphocyte count ratio (NLR), the platelet count/lymphocyte count ratio (PLR), and red cell distribution width (RDW) index] in the diagnosis of bacterial infectious pneumonia in children.MethodsFifty cases of mycoplasma infectious pneumonia, 50 cases of bacterial infectious pneumonia and 50 healthy children were enrolled in this study. The differences between the NLR, PLR, and RDW index values in each group were compared using the Mann-Whitney test. The correlation coefficients of the NLR, PLR, and RDW index with the interleukin-6 (IL-6) and procalcitonin (PCT) were analyzed using the Spearman’s rank test. The specificity and sensitivity of the NLR, PLR, and RDW index in the diagnosis of bacterial pneumonia in children were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves.ResultsThe NLR value of the children with bacterial infectious pneumonia was significantly higher than that of the children with mycoplasma infectious pneumonia (P<0.05) and healthy children (P<0.05), while the PLR value of the children with bacterial infectious pneumonia was significantly lower than that of the children with mycoplasma infectious pneumonia (P<0.05) and healthy children (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the RDW index values of the healthy control children and the children with mycoplasma infectious pneumonia and bacterial infectious pneumonia (P>0.05). There was a positive correlation between NLR and serum IL-6 (R=0.203; P=0.041), and a negative correlation between PLR and serum PCT (R=–0.291; P=0.037). In addition, there was no significant correlation between the RDW index and serum IL-6, and the RDW index and serum PCT in children with bacterial infectious pneumonia. When the 3 indicators were each used to differentiate between healthy children and children with bacterial pneumonia, the area under the PLR curve was the largest for the ROC curve [0.898, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.815–0.953]. In the differential diagnosis of mycoplasma pneumonia and bacterial pneumonia, the area under the PLR curve was also the largest (0.803, 95% CI: 0.577–0.780).ConclusionsThe PLR has clinical value in the diagnosis of bacterial infectious pneumonia in children.

An uncommon organism causing necrotizing pneumonia in a toddler

Necrotizing pneumonia (NP) is an uncommon complication of bacterial pneumonia in children, which must be looked into if a severe pneumonia has poor response to recommended antibiotics. The present case is a toddler with NP in whom fever and cough persisted despite treatment with first-line antimicrobial therapy, computed tomography (CT) scan revealed consolidation with multiple cavities, pseudomonas aeruginosa was the pathogen isolated from bronchoalveolar lavage, which a very uncommon organism is causing NP. Community acquired necrotizing pneumonia caused by pseudomonas is not reported in paediatric population. Hence, we report this case.

Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Diagnostic Biomarkers for Pediatric Pneumonia.

Pneumonia causes significant morbidity and mortality in children worldwide, especially in resource-poor settings. Accurate identification of bacterial etiology leads to timely antibiotic initiation, minimizing overuse, and development of resistance. Host biomarkers may improve diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. We assessed the ability of biomarkers to correctly identify bacterial pneumonia in children who present with respiratory distress. A librarian-directed search was conducted of MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Global Health, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and ClinicalTrials.gov to May 2020 with no language restriction. Included studies compared a diagnostic biomarker in children with bacterial pneumonia to those with nonbacterial respiratory distress. There were 31 observational studies of 23 different biomarkers. C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), white blood cell (WBC) count, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were the biomarkers with sufficient data for meta-analysis. Meta-analysis revealed that CRP and PCT best differentiated bacterial from viral pneumonia with CRP summary AUROC (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve) 0.71 (0.69-0.73), Youden index 53 mg/L, sensitivity 0.70 (0.68-0.78), and specificity 0.64 (0.58-0.68) and PCT summary AUROC 0.70 (0.67-0.74), Youden index 0.59 ng/mL, sensitivity 0.69 (0.65-0.77), and specificity 0.64 (0.60-0.68). WBC and ESR did not perform as well. Nineteen other inflammatory and immunologic biomarkers were identified including CRP/mean platelet value, neutrophil/leukocyte ratio, interleukin 6, and interferon-alpha, with sensitivities from 60% to 85% and specificities from 76% to 83%. CRP and PCT performed better than WBC and ESR but had suboptimal sensitivity. Some less well-studied novel biomarkers appear to have promise particularly in combination.

How Much Procalcitonin we use in Differentiation of Bacterial Pneumonia in Children?

Abstract Procalcitonin is a new generation marker used to differentiate bacterial from viral pneumonia. Although it is not a test routinely used in practice, it can be included in diagnosis and treatment algorithm of pneumonia in children. Studies have shown the effectiveness of procalcitonin in determining of duration of antibiotherapy and hospitalization, too. The test is superior to the other laboratory parameters, compared to reactive C protein, inclusively. Depending on the result of the pulmonary x-ray (bacterial pneumonia) admitted patients were included in: study group – patients with increased values of procalcitonin, and control group – patients with normal values ones. The study proposed a comparative analysis; the correlation index was used to demonstrate how laboratory parameters can interact, and the evolutionary trend of studied parameters was analysed. The results are consistent with the literature data, validating the superiority of procalcitonin in establishing the etiologic diagnosis and the treatment evaluation in bacterial pneumonia in children.