Blood Cultures Time-to-Positivity as an Antibiotic Stewardship Tool in Immunocompromised Children with Gram-Negative Bacteraemia.

: Children and adolescents with haematologic malignancies or other causes of immunosuppression are at high risk of severe infections. Determining the probability of Gram-negative bacilli bloodstream infections (GNB-BSI) within 24 h of blood culture (BC) incubation could support early antibiotic de-escalation, compared to the current guidelines recommending de-escalation after 48-72 h. : Retrospective, observational single-centre study describing BC time-to-positivity (TTP) in GNB-BSI in a paediatric cohort of immunocompromised children.

Impact of paediatric antimicrobial stewardship program in haematogenous bone and joint infections.

Unlabelled: Antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASP) reduce the inappropriate use of antimicrobial agents. Traditionally, paediatric osteoarticular infections have been treated with prolonged intravenous antibiotics; however, evidence suggests that shorter intravenous therapy followed by oral narrow-spectrum antibiotics is effective. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of an ASP on the treatment of acute haematogenous bone and joint infections (AH-BJI) in children.

Pharmacokinetic Analysis of an Isoniazid Suspension Among Spanish Children Under 6 Years of Age.

: Isoniazid (INH) remains a first-line drug for the treatment of tuberculosis (TB) in young children. In 2010, the WHO recommended an increase in the daily dose of INH up to 10 (7-15) mg/kg. Currently, there are no INH suspensions available in Europe.

Serological Outcome in the First Months of Life of Children Born to Mothers with SARS-CoV-2 Infection during Pregnancy.

Background: The objective of this study is to analyze the transplacental transmission of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, their persistence in newborns, the factors that may influence this transmission, and the protection these antibodies confer over time.

Methods: This prospective cohort was conducted in a tertiary pediatric hospital in the Barcelona Metropolitan Region, Spain. It included neonates born to mothers who had SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy or delivery between August 2020 and January 2022.

Off-label use of dalbavancin in children: a case series.

Introduction: Dalbavancin is an antibiotic active against most Gram-positive bacteria approved for acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI). Owing to its long half-life, it is being increasingly used for other indications.

Patients And Methods: We present a case series of children and adolescents treated with dalbavancin for osteoarticular, catheter-related and other non-ABSSSI infections.

Host, technical, and environmental factors affecting QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube performance in children below 5 years of age.

Interferon-gamma release assays performance can be impaired by host-related, technical and environmental factors, but data in young children are limited. We performed a cross-sectional study of children < 5 years-of-age at risk of tuberculosis (TB), using QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) assays. The impact of the following was evaluated: (i) host-related [age; hematological parameters; erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR); C-reactive protein (CRP); and tobacco smoke exposure (TSE) based on serum cotinine concentrations], (ii) technical (pre-analytical delay) and (iii) environmental factors (annual season; monthly temperatures).

Impact and quality of antimicrobial use in a referral pediatric intensive care unit.

Introduction: We aimed to describe antimicrobial use (AU) and quality of prescriptions (QP) in a 28-bed medical-surgical PICU of a European referral children's hospital during 2019.

Methods: AU data were expressed as days-of-therapy (DOT) over 100 days-present (DP) and as length-of-treatment (LOT). QP was based on monthly cross-sectional point-prevalence surveys.

Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus during the COVID-19 pandemic: Time for a new paradigm?

Seasonal epidemics of influenza and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are the cause of substantial morbidity and mortality among children. During the global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the epidemiology of these viruses seems to have changed dramatically. In Australia and New Zealand, a significant decrease in both influenza and bronchiolitis have been noticed during usual peak seasons.

Benefits of a Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship Program in Antimicrobial Use and Quality of Prescriptions in a Referral Children's Hospital.

Objectives: To evaluate the results of the first 24 months of a postprescription review with feedback-based antimicrobial stewardship program in a European referral children's hospital.

Study Design: We performed a pre-post study comparing antimicrobial use between the control (2015-2016) and the intervention periods (2017-2018) expressed in days of therapy/100 days present. Quality of prescriptions was evaluated by quarterly cross-sectional point-prevalence surveys.