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Published on: October 27, 2013
Enhanced culture detection of Kingella kingae, a pathogen of increasing clinical importance in pediatrics
Amadeu Gené1, Juan-José García-García, Pere Sala
1Pediatric Infectious Diseases Unit, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain. agene@hsjdbcn.org
Insights
Kingella kingae is often linked to osteoarticular infections and occult bacteremia in children. This study found osteomyelitis more common than septic arthritis in K. kingae cases, possibly due to sample collection methods.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
Background:
- Kingella kingae is a significant cause of invasive pediatric infections.
- Osteoarticular infections and occult bacteremia are commonly associated with Kingella kingae.
- Previous studies often report septic arthritis as more prevalent than osteomyelitis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the clinical characteristics of Kingella kingae infections in a series of pediatric patients.
- To investigate the prevalence of osteomyelitis versus septic arthritis in Kingella kingae infections.
- To explore potential factors influencing the presentation of Kingella kingae infections.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective case series analysis of 11 pediatric patients with Kingella kingae infection.
- Review of clinical data, focusing on osteoarticular involvement and bacteremia.
- Analysis of sample inoculation methods (agar media vs. blood cultures).
Main Results:
- Osteomyelitis was the predominant diagnosis (11 patients), exceeding septic arthritis.
- This contrasts with findings from other Kingella kingae series.
- A potential link between sample inoculation on agar media and the observed predominance of osteomyelitis was noted.
- Two patients experienced mild orthopedic sequelae despite the generally benign course.
Conclusions:
- Kingella kingae infections in children can manifest predominantly as osteomyelitis.
- Sample collection and laboratory processing methods may influence the observed spectrum of K. kingae disease.
- While often benign, Kingella kingae infections warrant careful monitoring for potential orthopedic complications.
Abstract:
Osteoarticular infection and occult bacteremia are the 2 invasive infectious pathologies most frequently associated in childhood with Kingella kingae. We report a series of 11 patients in whom osteomyelitis predominates over septic arthritis, which is the reverse of other series, probably as a consequence of inoculation of samples during surgery on agar media, used in combination with or as an alternative to inoculation into blood culture bottles. Although K. kingae infections usually follow a benign clinical course, we noted 2 patients with mild orthopedic sequelae.
