A Case Series of Infants 60 Days of Age or Younger With Human Parechovirus (PeV) Meningitis From a New York City Pediatric Emergency Department.

Human parechovirus is a relatively lesser known virus that has recently spread across the United States, primarily affecting newborns and young infants. A particular strain of parechovirus, PeV-A3, has been found in the cerebrospinal fluid studies of many young patients in the spring and summer of 2022; however, short- and long-term neurologic effects of this virus are often not well known. We present a case series of 4 infants, 60 days of age or younger, found to have human parechovirus meningitis. Our retrospective study found that none of the 4 infants presented with any significant neurological findings, nor did they develop any specific neurologic signs or symptoms during their hospitalizations. Patients should continue to be monitored for long-term neurological and neurodevelopmental sequelae.

Development and Validation of a Rome III Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders Questionnaire for Infants and Toddlers.

OBJECTIVE: Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) in infants and toddlers are common, but no questionnaire is available for use in clinic and research. The purpose of the present study was to develop and validate a questionnaire assessing symptoms associated with FGIDs in infants and toddlers. METHODS: Questions were developed based on the Rome III diagnostic criteria for FGIDs. A group of parents of children with FGIDs and experts in FGID reviewed the questionnaire for content, understandability, and completeness (face validity). Initial content validity was established by comparing physician and questionnaire diagnoses in a group of 332 consecutive new patients at a tertiary care clinic. RESULTS: Ten parents and 8 experts identified no major problems, indicating good face validity. Of 332 consecutive new patients, age 1 month to 4 year of age, 172 subjects (52% of the sample) qualified for a FGID by parent responses to the questionnaire (mean age = 1.23 year, 53% girls). All of these subjects also received an FGID diagnosis by their physician. Agreement between parent and doctor was fair to substantial (κ = 0.18-0.76), except for infant rumination and functional diarrhea in infants, which showed poor overlap. CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed Rome III questionnaire for infants and toddlers had good initial face and content validity. This questionnaire will be an important addition to clinical care and research of infant/toddler FGIDs. Replication of these findings in primary care is needed.