BACKGROUND Despite improvements in infant mortality rates in many developing countries including The Gambia, neonatal mortality remains high and many neonatal deaths are caused by infection. The study described in this paper was conducted to determine the bacterial and viral etiology of serious infections in Gambian infants younger than 91 days old. METHODS At a first level health facility 49...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether parenteral antibiotics are superior to oral antibiotics in preventing serious bacterial infections in children with Streptococcus pneumoniae occult bacteremia. METHODS Using the MEDLINE database, the English language literature was searched for all publications concerning bacteremia, fever, or Streptococcus pneumoniae from 1966 to January 1, 1997. All nonduplica...

Febrile illness in children younger than 36 months is common and has potentially serious consequences. With the widespread use of immunizations against Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b, the epidemiology of bacterial infections causing fever has changed. Although an extensive diagnostic evaluation is still recommended for neonates, lumbar puncture and chest radiography ...

Background Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection worldwide. It is the commonest cause of non-gonococcal urethritis in men and can cause serious complications in the female reproductive tract if left untreated. Objective The aim of this study is to establish the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection in symptomatic patients attending the

Clinical signs of infection do not allow for correct identification of bacterial and viral aetiology in acute respiratory infections. A valid tool to assist the clinician in identifying patients who will benefit from antibiotic therapy, as well as patients with a potentially serious infection, could greatly improve patient care and limit excessive antibiotic prescriptions. Procalcitonin is a ...

It was the impression of 1 of the authors that band counts in febrile infants < or =60 days of age were much higher as reported from the clinical laboratory at Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron, Ohio, than they had been at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New York. Absolute band counts (ABC) from 119 febrile infants < or =60 days of age seen in the emergency department of Childr...

Background and Purpose: Chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) is an inherited disorder of the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase complex. This disorder results in recurrent life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections. Aspergillus species are the most common fungal infections in these patients. Case Report: Herein, we present a case of fungal infection in a girl wi...

OBJECTIVE To determine the characteristics of febrile full term infants during the first days of life, and to discover the rate of serious bacterial infections among low risk neonates with systemic fever. DESIGN A retrospective case-control study of 122 cases and 122 controls in a single institution. RESULTS Weight loss, breast feeding, caesarean section delivery, and high birth weight were...