OBJECTIVES To evaluate the impact of selective fluconazole prophylaxis on incidence of invasive fungal infection and emergence of fluconazole resistance in neonatal intensive care. DESIGN Retrospective study of very low birthweight (VLBW) babies (<1500 g birth weight) admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) in the period 1 year before and after the implementation of an antifungal pr...

BACKGROUND The epidemiology of paediatric bloodstream infection (BSI) in Sub-Saharan Africa is poorly documented with limited data on hospital-acquired sepsis, impact of HIV infection, BSI trends and antimicrobial resistance. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed paediatric BSI (0-14 years) at Tygerberg Children's Hospital between 1 January 2008 and 31 December 2013 (excluding neonatal wards). ...

The incidence of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) in critically ill patients has constantly increased over recent decades, but their diagnosis still presents problems: conventional diagnostic (microscopic examination, fungal cultures) is sometimes insensitive, some procedures (e.g. tissue biopsy) require an aggressive approach not compatible with the critical condition of the patients, so the ...

RATIONALE Collodion baby is a rare autosomal recessive disorder. It can be the first expression of some forms of ichthyosis. PATIENT CONCERNS The authors present the case of a newborn diagnosed with severe Collodion baby syndrome who required prolonged hospitalization in the intensive care unit because of infectious complications like the fungal sepsis and other bacterial superinfections. D...

The purpose of this article is to report our experience with intravenous voriconazole therapy in the treatment of persistent Candida septicemia in very low birth weight (VLBW) neonates. Candidiasis was defined if an infant had a positive blood culture. Ten VLBW newborns developed Candida sepsis, and candidemia persisted in 6 of them despite 3 to 21 days of antifungal therapy with amphotericin B...

In this special issue of the Journal of Pediatric Intensive Care, we have compiled a series of articles addressing the management of infections in critically ill children. Directed antimicrobial treatment and concurrent supportive care are key aspects of pediatric critical care. According to the World Health Organization, in 2013, approximately 50% of all childhood deaths worldwide were caused ...

We read with great interest the article by Spec et al. [1] investigating the immunophenotype of T cells from patients with Candida spp. sepsis. This is the first observational study describing the altered immune response of patients with candidemia. The authors included nonneutropenic critically ill patients with candidemia and non-septic controls, and excluded patients with human immunodeficie...

Disseminated fungal infection is the presence of a pathogen in blood (fungemia) and/or any other deep-seated site because hematogenous seeding. Conditions which predispose individuals for disseminated infections include renal failure, following surgical procedures, HIV, neutropenia, hematological malignancies, and long term use antibiotics, late sepsis total parenteral nutrition. Candida common...

Background: Phaeohyphomycosis is a subcutaneous or systemic infection characterized histologically by dark-colored fungal hyphae. With the increasing number of immunocompromised patients, the incidence of the disease has increased recently. The objective of the study is to emphasize the role of histopathology in the diagnosis of phaeohyphomycosis. Methods: The biopsy specimens of seven cases of...

Cutaneous T cell lymphoma (CTCL) patients often suffer from recurrent skin infections that progress to sepsis. However, it is unknown how risk factors and outcomes differ between sepsis in CTCL versus other non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL). We analyzed a retrospective cohort of 97 (40% mycosis fungoides, 40% Sézary syndrome) 89 non-CTCL NHL with positive blood cultures at single U.S. academic instit...