Meningitis in children

BACKGROUND: The data report of a large sample, dynamic epidemiology, and characteristic analysis of pediatric tuberculosis (TB) in Southwest China is not clear. Herein, we conducted descriptive dynamic epidemiology, characteristic analysis and geographical distribution study of pediatric TB inpatients in Southwest China for more than 20 years. METHODS: Patients with pediatric TB were recruited from October 2002 to September 2022 in Southwest of China based on etiology or clinical confirmation...

BACKGROUND: Cerebral vasospasm is commonly associated with adult aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage but can develop in children. The standard vasospasm treatment includes induced hypertension, avoidance of hypovolemia, systemic use of the calcium channel blocker (CCB) nimodipine, and cerebral angiography for intraarterial therapy. Emerging treatments in adults, such as intraventricular CCB administration, have not been investigated in children. This study demonstrates the successful use of an intraventricular CCB in a pediatric patient with refractory vasospasm secondary to meningitis...

Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is a severe form of tuberculosis with high neuro-morbidity and mortality, especially among the paediatric population (aged ≤12 years). Little is known of the associated metabolic changes. This study aimed to identify characteristic metabolic markers that differentiate severe cases of paediatric TBM from controls, through non-invasive urine collection. Urine samples selected for this study were from two paediatric groups. Group 1: controls (n = 44): children without meningitis, no neurological symptoms and from the same geographical region as group 2...

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the clinical epidemiological characteristics including clinical features, disease prognosis of pneumococcal meningitis (PM), and drug sensitivity of S. pneumoniae isolates in Chinese children. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the clinical, laboratory microbiological data of 160 hospitalized children less than 15 years of age with PM from January 2019 to December 2020 in 33 tertiary hospitals in China. RESULTS: A total of 160 PM patients were diagnosed, including 103 males and 57 females The onset age was 15 days to 15 years old, and the median age was 1 year and 3 months...

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to assess aetiology and clinical characteristics in childhood meningitis, and develop clinical decision rules to distinguish bacterial meningitis from other similar clinical syndromes. METHODS: Children aged <16 years hospitalised with suspected meningitis/encephalitis were included, and prospectively recruited at 31 UK hospitals. Meningitis was defined as identification of bacteria/viruses from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and/or a raised CSF white blood cell count...

ABSTRACT Coxsackievirus B4 (CVB4) is associated with a range of acute and chronic diseases such as hand, foot, and mouth disease, myocarditis, meningitis, pancreatitis, and type 1 diabetes, affecting millions of young children annually around the world. However, no vaccine is currently available for preventing CVB4 infection. Here, we report the development of inactivated viral particle vaccines for CVB4. Two types of inactivated CVB4 particles were prepared from CVB4-infected cell cultures as vaccine antigens, including F-particle (also called mature virion) consisting of VP1, VP3, VP2, and VP4 subunit proteins, and E-particle (also called empty capsid) which is made of VP1, VP3, and uncleaved VP0...

Human enterovirus (EV) and Parechovirus (PeV) infections are major causes of sepsis-like illness in infants < 90 days of age. Enterovirus species B (EV-B) was found to be the leading cause of aseptic meningitis in young infants. In Thailand, EV and PeV are not part of the routine screening of blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of children with suspected aseptic meningitis and sepsis-like illness. Consequently, data on EV and PeV epidemiology are limited. This study tested clinical samples from hospitalized young infants with suspected aseptic meningitis or sepsis-like illness between 2013 and 2022 for EV, PeV, and Herpes simplex virus (HSV)...

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is responsible for the spread and persistence of bacterial infections. Surveillance of AMR in healthy individuals is usually not considered, though these individuals serve as reservoirs for continuous disease transmission. Therefore, it is essential to conduct epidemiological surveillance of AMR in healthy individuals to fully understand the dynamics of AMR transmission in Nigeria. Thirteen multidrug-resistant Citrobacter spp., Enterobacter spp., Klebsiella pneumoniae , and Escherichia coli isolated from stool samples of healthy children were subjected to whole genome sequencing (WGS) using Illumina and Oxford nanopore sequencing platforms...

(1) Introduction: This pilot study aimed to analyze neurofilament light chain levels in cerebrospinal fluid (cNfL) in a cohort of children with different acute nontraumatic neurological conditions. (2) Methods: This prospective observational cohort study consisted of 35 children aged 3 months to 17 years and was performed from November 2017 to December 2019. Patients' clinical data were reviewed, and patients were assigned to the following groups: n = 10 (28.6%) meningitis, 5 (14.3%) Bell's palsy, 7 (20.0%) febrile non-CNS infection, 3 (8...

INTRODUCTION: Raw milk may contain pathogenic microorganisms harmful to humans, e.g., multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli non-O157:H7, which can cause severe colitis, hemolytic uremia, and meningitis in children. No studies are available on the prevalence of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC O157:H7) in sick or healthy dairy animals in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan. AIM: This study aimed to isolate, characterize, and detect antibiotic resistance in STEC non-O157:H7 from unpasteurized milk of dairy bovines in this province...

BACKGROUND: Enterococcal meningitis in children is rare, and its clinical presentation, laboratory characteristics and outcomes are not well defined. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of Enterococcal meningitis cases during 2002-2023 at our tertiary center. RESULTS: We identified 10 cases in children aged 2 weeks to 15 years (median age: 8 months). Seven children were males and 9 had comorbidities, including a ventriculoperitoneal shunt in 5 children...

Streptococcus pneumoniae is the leading cause of bacterial pneumonia, bacteremia, and meningitis. Indonesia introduced the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) nationwide in 2022. In this study, we present whole genome sequence (WGS) data of 94 S. pneumoniae isolates that were obtained from hospitalized patients, healthy children, and adult groups from different regions prior to PCV program in Indonesia. DNA sequences of S. pneumoniae were obtained using the TruSeq Nano DNA kit (Illumina NovaSeq6000 Platform)...

INTRODUCTION: The epidemiology of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), a rare but potentially fatal illness, is typically described as unpredictable and subject to sporadic outbreaks. AREAS COVERED: Meningococcal epidemiology and vaccine use during the last ~200 years are examined within the context of meningococcal characterization and classification to guide future IMD prevention efforts. EXPERT OPINION: Historical and contemporary data highlight the dynamic nature of meningococcal epidemiology, with continued emergence of hyperinvasive clones and affected regions...

Meningococcal meningitis (MM) and invasive meningococcal disease remain a major public health problem that generates enormous public alarm. It is caused by Neisseria meningitidis, a Gram-negative diplococcus with an enormous capacity for acute and rapidly progressive disease, both episodic and epidemic in nature, with early diagnosis and treatment playing a major role. It occurs at any age, but is most common in children under 5 years of age followed by adolescents. Although most cases occur in healthy people, the incidence is higher in certain risk groups...

AIM: A low Glasgow Coma Scale Score (GCS) on admission is a known predictor of poor outcome from childhood bacterial meningitis. In turn, the factors associated with the admission GCS are less known. Our aim was to identify them, both for clinical alerts of reserved prognosis and to find potential targets for intervention. METHODS: This study is a secondary analysis of data collected prospectively in Angola and in Latin America between 1996 and 2007. Children with bacterial meningitis were examined on hospital admission and their GCS was assessed using the age-adjusted scale...

Background Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is a bacterial infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis, which primarily affects the meninges, with a high incidence in young children. The most effective technique for preventing IMD is vaccination, which has been available for over 40 years through meningococcal polysaccharide capsule-containing vaccines. This study aims to assess the parental knowledge of meningococcal disease and vaccination in the Makkah region of Saudi Arabia. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted between September and December 2023 among 597 parents in the Makkah region using a validated online survey...

BACKGROUND: Port wine birthmark (PWB) is a congenital vascular malformation of the skin. Pulsed dye laser (PDL) is the "gold standard" for the treatment of PWB globally. Hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME or hemoporfin)-mediated photodynamic therapy (HMME-PDT) has emerged as the first choice for PWB treatment, particularly for young children, in many major hospitals in China during the past several decades. AIM: To evaluate whether HMME-PDT is superior to PDL by comparing the clinical efficacies of both modalities...

BACKGROUND: Pediatric coronavirus disease 2019 infection usually presents with respiratory and gastrointestinal symptoms. In this report we present fulminant meningitis as the main presentation of coronavirus disease 2019 without major signs and symptoms of other organs' involvement in 3 infants. CASES: The first case was a 4 months Iranian male infant with fulminant meningitis as the main presentation of coronavirus disease 2019 without other organ involvement...

BACKGROUND: Neisseria meningitides, Streptococcus pneumonia, and hemophilic influenza type B are frequently linked to bacterial meningitis (BM) in children. It's an infectious sickness that kills and severely mobilizes children. For a variety of reasons, bacterial meningitis remains a global public health concern; most cases and deaths are found in Sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Ethiopia. Even though vaccination has made BM more preventable, children worldwide are still severely harmed by this serious illness...

PURPOSE: Posterior fossa surgeries for pediatric tumors pose challenges in achieving optimal dural repair and duraplasty is usually required. Autografts, allografts, xenografts, and synthetic substitutes can be used for duraplasty. Autologous cervical fascia can be a safe and reliable graft option for duraplasty after posterior fossa surgeries. This study aims to investigate the outcomes of duraplasty with autologous cervical fascial graft in children after posterior fossa surgery for pediatric brain tumors...