Fusarium spp infections in a pediatric burn unit: nine years of experience.

INTRODUCTION: Fusarium spp are ubiquitous fungi recognized as opportunistic agents of human infections, and can produce severe infections in burn patients. The literature on Fusarium spp infections in pediatric burn patients is scarce. OBJECTIVES: To describe the clinical and epidemiological features as well as outcome of Fusarium spp infections in pediatric burn patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective, descriptive study of Fusarium spp infections in a specialized intensive care burn unit. RESULTS: In 15 patients Fusarium spp infections were diagnosed. Median age was 48 months. Direct fire injury was observed in ten patients. The median affected burn surface area was 45%. Twelve patients had a full thickness burn. Fourteen patients had a Garces Index ≥3. Fungal infection developed at a median of 11 days after burn injury. Fungi were isolated from burn wound in 14 patients and from the bone in one patient. Amphotericin B was the drug of choice for treatment followed by voriconazole. Median time of treatment completion was 23 days. One patient (7%) died of fungal infection-related causes. CONCLUSION: In our series Fusarium spp was an uncommon pathogen in severely burnt patients. The burn wound was the most common site of infection and mortality was low.

[Fungal infections in a pediatric burn care]. / Infecciones fúngicas en una unidad de quemados pediátrica.

OBJECTIVE: Retrospective description of fungal infections in a specialized intensive care burn unit. RESULTS: A total of 41 (21%) of 195 patients admitted from January 2002 to March 2006 developed fungal infections at any site. The median age of patients was 48 months (interquartile range: 18-84), and the affected burn surface was 40% (interquartile range 30 and 65% The median time lapse between admission and fungal infections was 13 days (interquartile range 8-20 d) The most frequent site of isolation was burnt wound in 38 patients (93%) and in blood cultures in 3 patients (7%). In 93% of patients bacterial infections were also found. The predominant fungus recovered was Candida spp in 20 patients (49%); followed by Aspergillus sp in 6 patients (15%), Anphotericin B was the drug of choice. The median time of complete treatment was 23 days (interquartile range: 15-30). One patient died (2%) from causes related to fungal infection. CONCLUSION: A total of 41 (21%) of 195 patients admitted from January 2002 to March 2006 developed fungal infections. Candida sp was the most frequently found. Mortality was low.

Use of colistin in a pediatric burn unit in Argentina.

The use of sulfomethate sodium colistin for the treatment of infections caused by multiple drug resistant (MDR) Gram-negative microorganisms were studied in a burn unit to evaluate the safety of this drug. A prospective chart review of pediatric patients treated with intravenous colistin in a tertiary burn unit between January 2005 and December 2006 was performed. Forty-five courses of intravenous colistin treatment administered to 45 children were evaluated in the study period. Fourteen patients (31%) were infected by Pseudomonas aeruginosa spp and 20 patients (44.5%) by Acinetobacter spp and an association of both bacteria was found in six patients (13.5%).The mean age of the patients was 52 months (range, 2 to 168 months), and 28 patients (62%) were men. The percentage of burnt body surface was between 9 and 87% (mean, 38%). Forty patients (89%) were infected by MDR organisms. Colistin was empirically indicated in five patients (11%) with burn wound sepsis 7 days after admission to the unit despite negative cultures. Burn wound sepsis was the most frequent focus of infection in 19 patients (42%). In 14 patients (31%), burn wound infection occurred without sepsis. Intravascular catheter-related bacteremia occurred in three patients (7%) and bacteremia in one (2%). Three patients had pneumonia (7%), three osteomyelitis (7%), and two urinary tract infection (4%).The length of treatment with colistin was between 3 and 92 days (median, 21 days). Only one patient (2%) died for reasons other than infection. None of the children developed increases in serum creatinine concentrations or neurological complications during treatment with colistin. Colistin seems to be a safe drug in selected cases of infections with MDR Gram-negative microorganisms. Further studies are needed to confirm these results.