Clinical features and drug resistance in children with Salmonella infection / 中国当代儿科杂志

OBJECTIVE@#To study the clinical features and drug resistance in children with Salmonella infection.@*METHODS@#A total of 163 children with positive fecal cultures for Salmonella who were hospitalized between 2013 and 2017 were enrolled. A retrospective analysis was performed for their data on clinical features, distribution of Salmonella serotypes, and drug sensitivity test results.@*RESULTS@#Among the 163 children with Salmonella infection, 79 (48.5%) were aged ≤1 year. Main clinical manifestations included fever and diarrhea. Of all the children, 121 (74.2%) reached a body temperature of above 39°C, 52 (31.9%) had diarrhea more than 10 times a day, and 56 (34.4%) had respiratory infection. Salmonella infection often occurred in summer and autumn. Of all the children, 131 (80.4%) had the infection in May to October. Salmonella typhimurium was observed in 100 children (61.3%) and Salmonella enteritidis was observed 15 children (9.2%). All serotypes of Salmonella had a drug resistance rate of >20% to cefotaxime, as well as high sensitivities to β-lactamase inhibitors (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and piperacillin/tazobactam). There were no strains resistant to carbapenems including imipenem.@*CONCLUSIONS@#Infants aged ≤1 year are susceptible to Salmonella infection in summer and autumn, and the most common serotype is Salmonella typhimurium. Main clinical manifestations are fever and diarrhea in children with Salmonella infection, and most children also have respiratory infection. Salmonella has an increased rate of drug resistance to third-generation cephalosporins. In clinical treatment, antimicrobial drugs should be used according to the results of drug sensitivity test.

Application of Mycoplasma pneumoniae antibody and load index in the diagnosis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae pneumonia in children / 中国当代儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the role of Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) load and antibody measurements in the diagnosis of MP pneumonia.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A total of 115 children with MP pneumonia and 400 healthy children were enrolled. The MP load and total antibody level were measured at different stages, and the MP load index (MPLI) was calculated.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The cut-off value of MPLI for MP infection was 6.12. MPLI and total antibody titer increased during the course of the disease, while MP-DNA decreased rapidly. Within the same time of blood collection, the group with a higher MP load had a significantly higher total antibody titer than the group with a lower MP load (P<0.05). Within 2 weeks of the course of the disease, the negative antibody group had a significantly higher MPLI than the positive antibody group (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>MPLI provides a standardized quantitative value of MP-DNA and plays an important role in the early diagnosis of MP infection.</p>