RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Kingella kingae is a common colonizer of the oropharynx in children that may lead to invasive infection, mainly osteoarticular infections. Invasive infections occur almost exclusively in young children, fundamentally fewer than two years old. K. kingae infections in children are probably underdiagnosed due to the difficulty in growing in routine cultures and the absence of systematic realization of molecular techniques to identify it. It is the most common bacteria involved in childhood osteoarticular infections in recent series and increasingly being recognized in Spain. We report our experience on the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of osteoarticular infections in children in recent years. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of septic arthritis by K. kingae identified by PCR in joint fluid in children during 2010-2016. Epidemiological, clinical and laboratory characteristics are presented. RESULTS: Five arthritis by K. kingae were identified, all of them in ≤6 years old children. Median leukocytes, CRP and ESR were 12950 leukocytes/µL, 4.84 mg/dL and 58 mm/h respectively, and 61,322 leukocytes /µL in joint fluid. All patients evolved favorably. CONCLUSIONS: Osteoarticular infections by K. kingae in children usually present low increase of inflammatory markers despite being invasive infections. The development of PCR in sterile samples has greatly improved the diagnostic yield of K. kingae infections improving the management of osteoarthritis in children.
