[Recurrent meningitis and inherited complement deficiency]. / Recidivující meningitidy a vrozený deficit komplementového systému.

Complement deficiency represents 5% of primary immunodeficiencies worldwide. A total of seven patients with deficiencies of the classical complement pathway were reported in the Czech Republic by the end of 2015. Typical manifestations of complement deficiency are recurrent meningitis, other bacterial infections, autoimmunity and kidney disease.Two case reports are presented of patients with molecularly confirmed C7 (compound heterozygote, c.663_644del in exon 6 and c.2350+2T:>C in intron 16) and C8 (homozygous c.1282C>T in exon 9) deficiency. The first patient had four attacks of meningococcal meningitis and an episode of pneumonia of unknown aetiology in childhood. The second had six attacks of meningitis. He also suffered from recurrent infections (otitis media, tonsillitis, chronic mucopurulent rhinitis and subsequent pansinusitis complicated by nasal polyposis) since childhood. No autoimmune disease was documented in either patient. They both received meningococcal and pneumococcal vaccines. Antibiotic prophylaxis was used only in the second patient, leading to a decline in the number of ENT infections.Complement deficiency should be suspected in patients with recurrent meningococcal infections, especially if combined with other infections caused by encapsulated bacteria or autoimmunity diseases. Prophylaxis with conjugate polysaccharide vaccines is recommended and antibiotic prophylaxis should be considered in individual cases.

[Clinical manifestations of pneumococcal infections and the current prevention options]. / Klinické projevy pneumokokových infekcí a soucasné moznosti prevence.

Pneumococcal infections continue to pose a serious medical problem. A broad range of serotypes, increasing resistance to antibiotics and high pathogenic potential of pneumococci are associated with development of various clinical forms of diseases. Some chronic diseases are an important predisposing factor for development of pneumococcal infections. The most common noninvasive forms of the disease are otitis, sinusitis, conjunctivitis; pneumonia is on the borderline between the invasive and noninvasive forms. Meningitis, sepsis, endocarditis and arthritis all belong to invasive pneumococcal diseases. The diagnosis is based on the so-called classic microbiological and molecular biology methods aimed at determining the pneumococcal serotype. The treatment recommendations are varied, depending on the resistance status in particular geographic regions. Prevention of the infections is primarily based on vaccination. In the past, only polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23) was available; currently, there are conjugate vaccines (PCVs), either 10-valent (PCV10) or 13-valent (PCV13). Initially, PCVs were used exclusively in children; later, PCV13 was approved for selected indications in the adult population. Since 2013, it has been indicated for both children and adults of all ages. These facts have been incorporated into updated guidelines in various specialties. The future of pneumococcal infection prevention rests with the development of protein vaccines.

[Pneumococcal meningitis in children]. / Pneumokoková meningitida u detí.

OBJECTIVE: Presented are the authors' own experiences with invasive pneumococcal diseases in a group of pediatric inpatients with pneumococcal meningitis treated in the Department of Infectious Diseases, University Hospital and Charles University Faculty of Medicine in Hradec Králové over the last 10 years. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A group of patients aged 0-18 years and hospitalized in the above facility in 2002-2011 was retrospectively assessed. The patients' basic clinical characteristics and treatment outcomes are shown below. RESULTS: Over the study period, 27 children with pneumococcal meningitis were treated; of those, 15 were boys and 12 were girls. The patients' ages ranged from 2 days to 17 years; seventeen children (63 %) were younger than 2 years. On admission, 11 children (40 %) had the infection in the middle ear or paranasal sinuses; intracranial complications were noted in 10 cases. Cerebrospinal fluid culture was positive for Streptococcus pneumoniae in 21 cases. In 6 patients, pneumococcal DNA was determined in the cerebrospinal fluid by PCR. None of the studied patients died. Eight children (29 %) were left with permanent damage; of those, seven had hearing impairment. CONCLUSION: Even today, pneumococcal meningitis in children remains a serious condition posing a risk of dangerous consequence or even death. To the maximum extent possible, prevention should include vaccination, especially in infants and children with the predisposing factors.