A child with complicated Mycobacterium tuberculosis

AbstractTuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with ever increasing resistance to commonly used antituberculous drugs. Drug-resistant TB was recognized shortly after the introduction of an effective therapy in the late 1940s, the use of streptomycin, which was the first widely used antituberculosis drug. Patients who received this drug usually had marked and rapid clinical improvement, but treatment failures were common after the first three months of therapy. Most children are infected by household contacts who have TB, particularly parents or other caretakers. Common symptoms of pulmonary TB in children include cough (chronic, without improvement for more than three weeks), fever (higher than 38 °C for more than two weeks), and weight loss or failure to thrive. Findings on a physical exam may suggest the presence of a lower respiratory infection, whereas the clinical presentation of extra pulmonary TB depends on the site of disease. The most common forms of extra pulmonary disease in children are TB of the lymph nodes and of the central nervous system. The role of inadequate treatment and poor compliance in the emergence of resistance highlights the importance of the DOT (Direct Observation Therapy) method in improving treatment outcomes and to control the spread of resistance

The first case of Raoultella planticola infective endocarditis in a 4 year old child: A case report and review of literature

Infective endocarditis is a complication of bacteremia that can lead to serious morbidity and even mortality if not appropriately treated, well known organisms commonly lead to this condition in many repeated scenarios so they are usually recognized and treated, but if it was caused by other organisms its detection and treatment can be harder. Raoultella planticola, a low virulent organism used to be part of the Klebsiella species, has been found in many reports to cause multiple human conditions. In this article, a novel case of R. planticola is reported, and the organism was reviewed in many aspects for clinician to be able to recognize this infection and manage it in a more effective way

Consensus recommendation for meningococcal disease prevention in children and adolescents in the Middle East region

Facing the availability of the new generation of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines (Menveo®, Menactra® and others pending for license) and their recent implementation in Saudi Arabia, experts from 11 countries of the Middle East region met at a “Meningococcal Leadership Forum” (MLF), which took place in May 2010 in Dubai. The participants of the conference discussed the importance of introducing the concept of conjugate vaccines – especially for children and adolescents – and elaborated a consensus recommendation to support healthcare professionals and decision makers with their expertise. In experts’ opinion, conjugate vaccines are the best choice for the prevention of meningococcal disease caused by serogroups A, C, W-135 and Y. As quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccines are registered and available in the Middle East region, they should replace plain polysaccharide vaccines and be integrated in pediatric and adolescent vaccination schedules, including infant vaccination concomitantly with basic EPI vaccines when licensed