The Pediatric infectious disease journal
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Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. · Apr 2008
Test characteristics and interpretation of cerebrospinal fluid gram stain in children.
Few data exist regarding the test characteristics of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Gram stain among children at risk for bacterial meningitis, especially the rate of false positive Gram stain. ⋯ CSF Gram stain is appropriately used by physicians in risk stratification for the diagnosis and empiric treatment of bacterial meningitis in children. Although a positive Gram stain result greatly increases the likelihood of bacterial meningitis; the result may be because of contamination or misinterpretation in 40% of cases and should not, by itself, result in a full treatment course for bacterial meningitis.
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Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. · Apr 2008
Meta AnalysisPrevalence of urinary tract infection in childhood: a meta-analysis.
Knowledge of baseline risk of urinary tract infection can help clinicians make informed diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. We conducted a meta-analysis to determine the pooled prevalence of urinary tract infection (UTI) in children by age, gender, race, and circumcision status. ⋯ Prevalence rates of UTI varied by age, gender, race, and circumcision status. Uncircumcised male infants less than 3 months of age and females less than 12 months of age had the highest baseline prevalence of UTI. Prevalence estimates can help clinicians make informed decisions regarding diagnostic testing in children presenting with signs and symptoms of urinary tract infection.
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Pediatr. Infect. Dis. J. · Apr 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialDiphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis and inactivated poliovirus vaccines given separately or combined for booster dosing at 4-6 years of age.
In the United States, diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (DTaP) and inactivated poliovirus (IPV) booster vaccinations are recommended for children 4-6 years of age. A combined DTaP-IPV vaccine is being developed, which would reduce by one the number of injections in this age group. ⋯ The combination DTaP-IPV vaccine provided immunogenicity and reactogenicity that is comparable to separately administered DTaP and IPV vaccines, with the advantage of requiring one less injection.