trimethoprim--sulfamethoxazole-drug-combination and Influenza--Human

Topics: Agammaglobulinemia; Anti-Neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Vasculitis; Antirheumatic Agents; Churg-Strauss Syndrome; Delphi Technique; Duration of Therapy; Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Influenza Vaccines; Influenza, Human; Maintenance Chemotherapy; Microscopic Polyangiitis; Neutropenia; Pneumococcal Infections; Pneumococcal Vaccines; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis; Practice Guidelines as Topic; Recurrence; Rituximab; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination; United Kingdom

Despite dramatic reductions in the rates of bacteremia and meningitis since the 1980s, febrile illness in children younger than 36 months continues to be a concern with potentially serious consequences. Factors that suggest serious infection include age younger than one month, poor arousability, petechial rash, delayed capillary refill, increased respiratory effort, and overall physician assessment. Urinary tract infections are the most common serious bacterial infection in children younger than three years, so evaluation for such infections should be performed in those with unexplained fever. Abnormal white blood cell counts have poor sensitivity for invasive bacterial infections; procalcitonin and C-reactive protein levels, when available, are more informative. Chest radiography is rarely recommended for children older than 28 days in the absence of localizing signs. Lumbar puncture is not recommended for children older than three months without localizing signs; it may also be considered for those from one to three months of age with abnormal laboratory test results. Protocols such as Step-by-Step, Laboratory Score, or the Rochester algorithms may be helpful in identifying low-risk patients. Rapid influenza testing and tests for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be of value when those diseases are circulating. When empiric treatment is appropriate, suggested antibiotics include ceftriaxone or cefotaxime for infants one to three months of age and ampicillin with gentamicin or with cefotaxime for neonates. For children three months to three years of age, azithromycin or amoxicillin is recommended if pneumonia is suspected; for urinary infections, suggested antibiotics are cefixime, amoxicillin/clavulanate, or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Choice of antibiotics should reflect local patterns of microbial resistance.

Topics: Algorithms; Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate Combination; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Betacoronavirus; Blood Culture; C-Reactive Protein; Child, Preschool; Clinical Decision-Making; Clinical Laboratory Techniques; Coronavirus Infections; COVID-19; COVID-19 Testing; Culture Techniques; Fever; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Influenza, Human; Leukocyte Count; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Bacterial; Pneumonia, Viral; Procalcitonin; Radiography, Thoracic; SARS-CoV-2; Spinal Puncture; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination; Urinalysis; Urinary Tract Infections

Respiratory infections are of particular concern in transplant patients. However, there is a significant overlap in the symptoms caused by different pathogens. Here, we report a case of Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia (PCP) in a renal transplant patient which was initially misdiagnosed as pandemic influenza H1N1. The patient did not improve under oseltamivir treatment and bronchoscopy was performed five days later after hospitalization. PCP was diagnosed by microscoping evaluation of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. Besides, BAL and serum of the patient yielded a large amount of 1,3-beta-D-glucan, a cellwall compotent of medically important mycoses including P. jiroveci. The patient was successfully treated with intravenous trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Due to the lack of sensitivity of influenza case definitions, the attending physicians should be careful about alternative diagnoses particularly in transplant patients with severe respiratory infections.

Topics: Adult; Anti-Infective Agents; Bronchoalveolar Lavage; Diagnosis, Differential; Diagnostic Errors; Humans; Immunocompromised Host; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype; Influenza, Human; Injections, Intravenous; Kidney Transplantation; Male; Pandemics; Pneumocystis carinii; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis; Treatment Outcome; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination

Topics: Acute Disease; Animals; Anti-Infective Agents; Cell Line; Child, Preschool; Exanthema; Fever; Humans; Influenza A virus; Influenza, Human; Macaca mulatta; Male; Purpura; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination