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The purpose of this study was to examine community-associated methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) carriage and infections and determine risk factors associated specifically with MRSA USA300. A case control study was conducted in a pediatric emergency department. Nasal and axillary swabs were collected, and participants were interviewed for risk factors. The primary outcome was the proportion of S. aureus carriers among those presenting with and without a skin and soft tissue infection (SSTI). S. aureus carriers were further categorized into MRSA USA300 carriers or non MRSA USA300 carriers. We found MRSA USA300 carriage rate was higher in children less than 2 years of age, those with an SSTI, children with recent antibiotic use, and those with a family history of SSTI. MRSA USA300 carriers were also more likely to have lower income compared to non MRSA USA300 carriers and no S. aureus carriers. Rates of PVL genes were higher in MRSA carriage isolates with an SSTI, compared to MRSA carriage isolates of patients without an SSTI with an association between MRSA USA300 carriage and presence of PVL in those diagnosed with an abscess.

Background Encephalitis is an inflammatory condition of the brain associated with long-term neurologic sequelae and even death in children. Although viruses are often implicated, an etiology is not identified in the majority of cases. Metagenomics-based next-generation sequencing (mNGS) is a high-throughput sequencing technique that can enhance the detection of novel or low-frequency pathogens. Methods Hospitalized immunocompetent children aged 6 months to 18 years with encephalitis of unidentified etiology were eligible for enrollment. Demographic, historical, and clinical information was obtained, and residual blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples were subjected to mNGS. Pathogens were identified by querying the sequence data against the NCBI GenBank database. Results Twenty children were enrolled prospectively between 2013 and 2017. mNGS of CSF identified 7 nonhuman nucleic acid sequences of significant frequency in 6 patients, including that of Mycoplasma bovis , parvovirus B19, Neisseria meningitidis , and Balamuthia mandrillaris. mNGS also detected Cladophialophora species, tobacco mosaic virus, and human bocavirus, which were presumed to be contaminants or nonpathogenic organisms. One patient was found to have positive serology results for California encephalitis virus, but mNGS did not detect it. Patients for whom mNGS identified a diagnosis had a significantly higher CSF white blood cell count, a higher CSF protein concentration, and a lower CSF glucose level than patients for whom mNGS did not identify a diagnosis. Conclusion We describe here the results of a prospective cohort analysis to evaluate mNGS as a diagnostic tool for children with unexplained encephalitis. Although mNGS detected multiple nonpathogenic organisms, it also identified multiple pathogens successfully and was most useful in patients with a CSF abnormality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Staphylococcus aureus colonization rates in pediatric health care workers from different types of outpatient settings were determined from December 2008 through May 2010. Colonization rates for Staphylococcus aureus and, specifically, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) rates were similar to the rates that have been reported for the general population. The predominant MRSA pulsed-field gel electrophoresis type associated with colonization in these health care workers is not MRSA USA300. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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BACKGROUND: Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at increased risk for bloodstream infections (BSIs), mainly because of functional asplenia. Immunizations and antibiotic prophylaxis have reduced the prevalence of invasive bacterial infections, but contemporary analysis of BSI in children with SCD is limited. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of children aged <18 years with SCD who had blood cultures collected at our institution from 2010 to 2019 to identify BSI. Probable contaminant organisms were identified and not included as BSI. We calculated the annual incidence of BSI at our institution with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and used multivariate logistic regression to evaluate associations. RESULTS: There were 2694 eligible patients with 19 902 blood cultures. Excluding repeated cultures and contaminant cultures, there were 156 BSI episodes in 144 patients. The median age at BSI was 7.5 years. The average incidence rate of BSI was 0.89 per 100 person-years (95% CI 0.45--1.32). The most common pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae (16.0%), Streptococcus viridans group (9.0%), Escherichia coli (9.0%), Staphylococcus aureus (7.7%), Bordetella holmesii (7.7%), Haemophilus influenzae (7.1%), and Salmonella species (6.4%). Odds of BSI were higher with sickle cell anemia genotypes (odds ratio [OR] 1.88; 95% CI 1.20--2.94) and chronic transfusions (OR 2.66; 95% CI 1.51--4.69) and lower with hydroxyurea (OR 0.57; 95% CI 0.39--0.84). CONCLUSIONS: BSI remains a risk for children with SCD. Overall incidence, risk factors, and spectrum of pathogens are important considerations to guide prevention and empirical treatment of suspected infection in SCD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]