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Characterization of Staphylococcus aureus infections in children with Down syndrome

Jeffrey N Johnston1, Sheldon L Kaplan1, Edward O Mason1

  • 1Texas Children's Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Section of Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States.

Journal of Infection and Chemotherapy : Official Journal of the Japan Society of Chemotherapy
|September 21, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Staphylococcus aureus infections in children with Down syndrome (DS) are often skin or ear infections, with a high rate of MRSA. Recurrent ear infections showed resistance to antiseptics and fluoroquinolones.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Microbiology
  • Genetics

Background:

  • Staphylococcus aureus infections in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) are not well-understood.
  • Characterizing these infections is crucial for appropriate clinical management and public health strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the clinical and molecular characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus infections in children with Down syndrome.
  • To identify specific resistance patterns and virulence factors in S. aureus isolates from this population.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective review of medical records for children with DS and S. aureus infections from 2001-2011.
  • Molecular characterization of isolates including antimicrobial susceptibility, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and detection of resistance genes (pvl, mupA, smr) and SCCmec type.

Main Results:

  • 34 S. aureus infections in 26 children with DS were identified; 61% were MRSA.
  • Skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI) were most common (17/26), followed by ear infections (7/26).
  • Recurrent ear infections (5/8) were associated with antiseptic (smr+) and fluoroquinolone resistance genes.

Conclusions:

  • S. aureus infections in DS patients present similarly to other groups, but with a higher prevalence of ear infections.
  • Ear isolates frequently carried antiseptic and fluoroquinolone resistance genes, highlighting a potential challenge in treatment.
  • Further research with larger cohorts of DS patients is needed to validate these findings.

Keywords:
Down syndromePediatricStaphylococcus aureusmupAsmr

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