Changes in the incidence of acute bacterial meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae and the implications of serotype replacement in children in Colombia after mass vaccination with PCV10.

Introduction: Acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) is a public health problem. The disease has reemerged after the introduction of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) due to an increase in serotypes that are not covered. The objective was to determine the changes in the disease incidence before and after the introduction of the 10-valent vaccine (PCV10) in Colombia. Methods: This multicenter study was conducted in 17 hospitals in Colombia. Data were collected from January 2008 to December 2019 in 10 hospitals in Bogotá and from January 2017 to December 2019 in seven hospitals in Cali, Medellín and Cartagena. The data were grouped into three periods: 2008-2011, 2012-2015, and 2016-2019. Results: Of the 706 cases of invasive pneumococcal disease, 81 (11.4%) corresponded to meningitis. The relative incidence in Bogotá in the first period was 0.6 per 100,000 patients ≤ 5 years, decreased to 0.4 per 100,000 patients ≤ 5 years in the second period and increased in the third period to 0.7 per 100,000 patients ≤ 5 years. Serotypes covered by PCV10 decreased from 75 to 9.1%, with Spn19A (31.8%) and Spn34 (13.6%) emerging in the third period. Increased resistance to penicillin (13 to 37%) and to ceftriaxone (5.9 to 16%) was due to the emergence of multidrug-resistant Spn19A. The total mortality rate was 23.5% and increased from 12 to 33%. Conclusions: ABM due to pneumococcus has high morbidity and mortality rates. Reemergence of the disease has been observed due to the inclusion of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for diagnosis and replacement of circulating serotypes after the introduction of PCV10, with an increase in Spn19A, which causes death and exhibits antimicrobial resistance. Continued surveillance is needed.

Diagnostic yield of capillary compared to venous glucose in the diagnosis of hypoglycorrhachia in children: A prospective, observational study.

INTRODUCTION: The ratio of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glucose and blood glucose is of major relevance, conducting to the diagnosis of hypoglycorrhachia, which is a sign of neuroinfection, as well as a number of neurological diseases of genetic or neoplastic etiology. Glucose in capillary sample (glucometry) is a low cost, readily available technique, as compared to venous glucose. This study aims to compare glucometry to venous glucose in the diagnosis of hypoglycorrhachia in pediatric population. METHODS: Prospective cross-sectional study based on data obtained from lumbar punctures in the period from February 2017 to January 2019 in a specialized pediatric institution in Colombia. RESULTS: 97 patients were analyzed, aged 1 month to 17 years old, mean 7.67 years, 52 (53.61%) were female. 26 (26.8%) were diagnosed with hypoglycorrhachia. Pearson correlation coefficient for absolute venous and capillary glucose was 0.54, and 0.55 for the ratios of CSF glucose/venous glucose and CSF glucose/glucometry, which support a linear correlation between the variables in both, absolute values and ratios. Intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated for both, the venous glucose and glucometry ratios, which was 0.52, revealing a moderate agreement among the tests. Sensitivity and specificity of CSF glucose/glucometry, as compared to gold standard are 73.1% and 60.6% respectively; whereas predictive positive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV), were 40.4% and 86.0%. CONCLUSION: Glucometry cannot replace the glucose in venous sample in the diagnosis of hypoglycorrhachia in children.

Esclerosis múltiple en pacientes pediátricos: fisiopatología, diagnóstico y manejo / Pediatric multiple sclerosis: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management

Objetivo: Realizar una revisión acerca de la esclerosis múltiple en pacientes pediátricos, haciendo énfasis en los factores fisiopatológicos, los métodos diagnósticos, los principales diagnósticos diferenciales, el tratamiento y el pronóstico, para, de esta forma, lograr suministrar conocimientos claves y actualizados sobre esta patología. Métodos: La búsqueda de artículos se realizó en las bases de datos PubMed y Scopus, introduciendo las palabras clave “multiple sclerosis”, “children”, “pediatric multiple sclerosis”, “pathophysiology”, “diagnosis”, “diagnostic criteria” y “treatment”. Los artículos seleccionados debían tener fecha de publicación posterior al año 2000, ser revisiones de tema o ensayos clínicos y estar publicados en los idiomas inglés o español. Resultados y Conclusiones: La esclerosis múltiple es una enfermedad con una tasa de incidencia de 2 a 4 por 100.000 habitantes en Colombia, de la cual la población pediátrica representa entre 2,7 a 5.0% de los casos. Las causas que se han atribuido a la enfermedad son múltiples, incluyendo factores ambientales como infecciones virales o bacterianas, exposición a humo de cigarrillo o deficiencia de vitamina D, entre otras, factores genéticos y factores inmunológicos. Su diagnóstico se basa en los hallazgos clínicos e imagenológicos, previa exclusión de enfermedades más comunes. Su tratamiento se divide en tres ejes: el tratamiento de eventos agudos, el tratamiento modificador de la enfermedad y el tratamiento sintomático. Para el primero los medicamentos de primera elección son los corticoides, para el segundo son los medicamentos inmunomoduladores como acetato de glatiramer, y para el tercero se debe realizar un enfoque multidisciplinario. Su pronóstico a largo plazo es variable y depende en alguna medida de la respuesta al tratamiento.

Objective: Review about Multiple Sclerosis in pediatric patients, emphasizing in pathophysiological factors, di agnos t i c met hods , mai n di f f er ent i al di agnos i s ,t r eat ment , and pr ognosi s, t hus pr ovi di ng cur r entknowledge about this pathology. Methods: Search of articles was made in PubMed and Scopus databases with key words “multiple sclerosis”, “children”, “pediatric mul t i pl e scl er osi s” , “ pat hophysi ol ogy” , “ di agnosi s” ,“diagnostic criteria”, and “treatment”. Selected articles must have a publication date after 2000, reviews or clinical trials, and have been published in English or Spanish languages. Results and Conclusions: Multiple sclerosis is a disease with an incidence of 2 to 4 per 100,000 habitants in Colombia, and pediatric population represents 2.7 to 5% of the cases. Multiple causes had been related to the disease, including environmental factors, such as viral or bacterial infections, tobacco smoke exposure or Vitamin D deficiency, among others; genetic and immunologic causes are exposed too. Diagnosis is based in clinical and imaging features, excluding previously other morecommon diseases. Management is divided in three axes: treatment of acute event, disease-modifying therapies and symptomatic therapy. The treatment of acute events is usually with corticoid therapy, for disease-modifying therapy the first election are immunomodulatory drugs, such as Glatiramer Acetate and for symptomatic therapy is necessary a mul t i di sci pl i nary approach. Long-termprognosis is variable and depends of treatment response. [Farfán JD, Espitia OM. Pediatric multiple sclerosis: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. MedUNAB 2011; 14:167-179].