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Urinary tract infections in young infants with prolonged jaundice

Shiuh-Bin Fang1, Hung-Chang Lee, Chun-Yang Yeung

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Taiwan Adventist Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

Acta Paediatrica Taiwanica = Taiwan Er Ke Yi Xue Hui Za Zhi
|April 28, 2006
PubMed

Insights

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) in infants with prolonged jaundice are rare. High fever and pyuria are unreliable indicators; urine cultures are essential for diagnosis, especially with mixed infections.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Neonatology

Background:

  • Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common in infants, but their incidence alongside prolonged jaundice is low.
  • Prolonged jaundice in infants can be associated with various underlying conditions, necessitating accurate diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the clinical features of UTIs in infants presenting with prolonged jaundice.
  • To compare UTI characteristics in infants with prolonged jaundice to a historical control group.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of 50 infants aged 1 week to 3 months with UTIs and prolonged jaundice (1984-2004).
  • Comparison with a historical cohort of infants with UTIs.

Main Results:

  • Infants with prolonged jaundice and UTIs showed lower rates of high fever (12%) and pyuria (29%) compared to controls.
  • Increased incidence of Enterococcus species and mixed infections (32%) was observed.
  • Klebsiella pneumoniae and Enterococcus species were predominant in mixed infections.

Conclusions:

  • High fever and pyuria are unreliable for screening UTIs in infants with prolonged jaundice.
  • Urine cultures are crucial for diagnosing UTIs in this population.
  • Mixed urinary infections, particularly involving K. pneumoniae and Enterococcus species, may be significant in this clinical presentation.

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