Related Experiment Videos
Infections in preschool children in group day care
Insights
Viral and bacterial infections are common in young children attending day care centers. Asymptomatic cytomegalovirus infections are frequent, suggesting isolation measures may be limited in controlling spread.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Microbiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Day care centers are environments where viral and bacterial infections can spread rapidly among young children.
- Understanding the prevalence and types of infections is crucial for implementing effective control measures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the incidence of viral and bacterial infections in children under three years old in a day care setting.
- To identify common pathogens and assess the significance of asymptomatic infections.
Main Methods:
- A 12-week study involving 20 children under three years of age in a day care center.
- Collection and analysis of oropharyngeal, fecal, and urine specimens.
- Isolation and identification of viral and bacterial pathogens, including Pneumococci and Cytomegalovirus.
Main Results:
- Febrile illnesses occurred in 11 children, but no serious infections were noted.
- Pneumococci types 6, 9, and 19 were isolated from all children, particularly those with respiratory symptoms.
- An average of two viral infections per child was observed, with Adenovirus, Coxsackievirus, Herpes Simplex Virus, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus detected.
- Cytomegalovirus was recovered from 22% of urine specimens, with a 23% carrier frequency in a separate cohort.
Conclusions:
- Asymptomatic viral shedding, particularly of Cytomegalovirus, is common in young children in day care.
- Excluding symptomatic children may have limited impact on controlling overall infection spread.
- Current practices for managing Cytomegalovirus infections in day care settings may not require stringent isolation measures due to frequent asymptomatic infections.
Abstract:
Viral and bacterial infections in 20 children under 3 years of age were studied in a day centre for 12 weeks. Febrile illnesses were found on one occasion in each of 11 children but no serious infection occurred. Pneumococci types 6, 9, or 19 were isolated from all children but more often from those with rhinitis or cough. The individual child had an average of 2 viral infections. Adenovirus types 1, 2, 5, coxsackievirus type B5, herpes simplex virus or respiratory syncytial virus was isolated from 12% of the oropharynx swabs and 40% of the fecal specimens. When a virus was first isolated from the oropharynx, the children were asymptomatic or had only rhinitis in 73% of the cases which might indicate that the dismissing of symptomatic children is of limited value in controlling the spread of infections in a day care centre. Cytomegalovirus was recovered from 22% of the urine specimens. Carrier frequency of cytomegalovirus was 23% in 40 other children attending one of 13 different day care centers. Because asymptomatic cytomegalovirus infections apparently occur frequently among small children in Sweden, it seems reasonable not to take pronounced measures of isolating the children in the relatively few recognized cases of cytomegalovirus infections.