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Bacterial blood cultures in children with sickle cell disease
Alex L Rogovik1, Jeremy N Friedman, Jeeshan Persaud
1Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
Insights
Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) presenting to the emergency department (ED) had a very low incidence of bacteremia. No Streptococcus pneumoniae was detected, possibly due to pneumococcal conjugate vaccination.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Hematology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at increased risk for bacteremia.
- Fever in children with SCD presenting to the emergency department (ED) often prompts concern for bacteremia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of bacteremia in children with SCD.
- To assess bacteremia rates in pediatric ED visits, with or without fever.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of 692 pediatric ED visits for children with SCD over 2 years.
- Analysis of blood cultures for bacterial growth.
Main Results:
- A low rate of bacterial growth (1.3%) was observed in blood cultures.
- No cases of Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteremia were identified.
- Identified bacteria were likely contaminants from skin or oral flora.
Conclusions:
- The incidence of bacteremia in children with SCD presenting to the ED is very low.
- The absence of Streptococcus pneumoniae may be linked to the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) uptake.
Background:
Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are considered at risk for bacteremia, especially when they present to the emergency department (ED) with fever.
Objective:
We aimed to determine the incidence of bacteremia in children with SCD presenting with or without fever to a pediatric ED.
Methods:
A retrospective chart review of 692 pediatric ED visits of children with SCD during a 2-year period was conducted.
Results:
Seven blood cultures (6 homozygous and 1 heterozygous) had bacterial growth (1.3%; 95% confidence interval, 0.5-2.1), 3 of which were among febrile children (1.7%; 95% confidence interval, 0-3.6). All identified microorganisms are part of the normal skin or oral flora and could represent contamination. None of the patients had growth of the Streptococcus pneumoniae species.
Conclusion:
A very low rate of bacterial growth and no S pneumoniae were found. The absence of S pneumoniae in our cohort can be associated with the addition of the 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.
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