INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Intact skin serves as an effective mechanical barrier in the vast majority of healthy infants and children. Constant desquamation continually removes potentially invasive bacteria; however, almost…
BACKGROUND Print Section Listen Infections of the central nervous system (CNS) in children continue to pose a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge to clinicians. Because of the plethora of bacterial, viral,…
INTRODUCTION Print Section Listen Invasive medical devices are commonly used in hospitalized children. They result in more than 250,000 infections each year in the United States.1 A catheter-related bloodstream infection…
OSTEOMYELITIS Print Section Listen BACKGROUND Osteomyelitis is an inflammatory process of the bone and bone marrow that is generally due to a bacterial infection. The most common form in childhood…
BACKGROUND Print Section Listen The definition of immune compromise is characterized by an impairment of a host’s ability to effectively handle infectious challenges. As new therapeutic options for previously untreatable…
DISORDERS OF COAGULATION Print Section Listen Blood leaks or vascular occlusions may compromise blood delivery with potentially fatal consequences. The role of the hemostatic system is to maintain blood fluidity…
BACKGROUND Print Section Listen NEUTROPENIA Neutrophils are the cellular elements of the blood, which provide a large portion of anti-bacterial immunity to the body. The risk of sepsis, fungal infections,…
ACUTE GASTROENTERITIS Print Section Listen BACKGROUND Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) (often termed “diarrheal disease” when the global burden is discussed) is characterized by the sudden onset of diarrhea with or without…
BACKGROUND Print Section Listen Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has led to a worldwide pandemic that has exacted a dramatic toll on children, especially in resource-limited countries. It is estimated that…
BACKGROUND Print Section Listen In 1961, Petersdorf and Beeson proposed their now classic criteria for fever of unknown origin (FUO): (1) an illness of at least 3 weeks’ duration, (2)…
