The Pediatric infectious disease journal
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Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. · Nov 1994
The etiology of pneumonia in malnourished and well-nourished Gambian children.
During a 2-year period 159 malnourished children ages 3 months to 5 years with radiologic evidence of pneumonia were investigated to determine the cause of their pneumonia. In addition 119 malnourished children without pneumonia, 119 well-nourished children with pneumonia and 52 well-nourished children without pneumonia were studied as controls. Percutaneous lung aspiration was performed on 35 malnourished and 59 well-nourished children with pneumonia. ⋯ Mycobacterium tuberculosis was detected in 5 malnourished children with pneumonia. A potentially pathogenic virus was identified in 35% of malnourished children with pneumonia and 40% of well-nourished children with pneumonia, and from 25% of children without pneumonia. The viruses identified most frequently were adenovirus and respiratory syncytial virus.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. · Nov 1994
Serious bacterial infections in febrile infants and children selected for lumbar puncture.
Lumbar puncture (LP) is performed frequently in pediatric emergency departments to diagnose meningitis in infants and young children with fever. Children selected to have LP who do not have meningitis may, however, have other serious bacterial infections. We surveyed lumbar punctures performed in the Boston City Hospital Pediatric Emergency Department and monitored the incidence of meningitis and other serious bacterial infections. ⋯ An additional 10.5% of children who underwent LP and had normal cerebrospinal fluid had positive cultures of blood (3.1%), urine (4.1%) or stool (3.3%). The decision to perform lumbar puncture identifies children at risk of having not only meningitis but other serious bacterial illnesses. Those children 2 years of age and younger with normal cerebrospinal fluid should be considered for cultures of blood, urine and possibly stool.