Armando G. Correa

Treatment of childhood tuberculosis with a six month directly observed regimen of only two weeks of daily therapy

BACKGROUND Recommended treatment of childhood tuberculosis is 6 months in duration with at least 3 drugs. We studied a regimen requiring as few as 58 doses, given entirely by directly observed therapy (DOT), under program conditions. METHODS An observational trial was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a completely DOT 6-month regimen for pulmonary, pleural and lymph node tuberculosis in children with the use of 2 weeks of daily isoniazid, rifampin and pyrazinamide therapy; then 6 weeks of twice weekly isoniazid, rifampin and pyrazinamide therapy; followed by 16 weeks of twice weekly isoniazid and rifampin. All therapy was given by workers from the health department, and patients were followed by the Childrens Tuberculosis Clinic in Houston, TX. Patients were evaluated for changes in symptoms, weight, clinical or radiographic findings and adherence to therapy. RESULTS Of the 175 evaluable children (159 pulmonary/thoracic node, 4 pleural, 12 cervical lymph node), 81% of children completed treatment in 6 months. Of the 33 patients who received extended treatment, 3 did so because of physician choice, 17 had an inadequate response to initial therapy, 2 had significant adverse reactions to drugs and 16 had poor adherence to the DOT. Only 37% of patients had complete resolution of disease at the end of treatment, but all continued to improve after therapy was stopped. There was only 1 patient who relapsed after 4 years. CONCLUSION This regimen had results comparable with those of 6-month regimens with longer durations of daily therapy. Determining treatment response in pediatric tuberculosis is difficult because of the slow resolution of chest radiograph abnormalities. DOT is an important aspect of treatment but does not solve all problems with treatment adherence.

Congenital tuberculosis presenting as sepsis syndrome: case report and review of the literature.

We report an infant with congenital tuberculosis who presented with fulminant septic shock, disseminated intravascular coagulation and respiratory failure. Aggressive resuscitation and supportive care and prompt initiation of antituberculosis medications led to resolution of the shock state. We reviewed six other cases with a similar presentation. Congenital tuberculosis should be in the differential of the infant presenting acutely with sepsis syndrome.

Tuberculosis among adult visitors of children with suspected tuberculosis and employees at a children's hospital.

OBJECTIVE Few children with tuberculosis (TB) have communicable disease, and most do not require isolation within the hospital. However, parents or adult visitors with unrecognized pulmonary TB may be a threat to hospital staff and other patients. We prospectively evaluated adults accompanying children hospitalized for suspected TB at a childrens hospital to determine the frequency of undiagnosed, potentially contagious disease. METHODS From 1992 to 1998, chest radiographs were obtained from adult caretakers accompanying 59 consecutive children admitted to Texas Childrens Hospital with suspected TB. A child and his or her family were placed under Airborne Precautions only if the child or the accompanying adult exhibited characteristics of potentially contagious disease. Annual rates of tuberculin skin test conversion in hospital employees were obtained for the same period. RESULTS Of the 105 screened adults, 16 (15%) had previously undetected pulmonary TB. These adults were associated with 14 (24%) of the 59 children. In all instances in which the adult was the patients parent, he or she was the source of infection to the child. Only 8 (13.5%) of the 59 children required isolation. Tuberculin skin test conversion from a negative to a positive reaction occurred in 127 employees (8 per 1,000 employee-years at risk). Only 4 of these 127 employees performed activities involving direct patient contact. None was in contact with families with a known potentially contagious adult or pediatric patient. CONCLUSIONS The risk of infection of healthcare workers from pediatric patients with primary TB appeared to be minimal, and most children with TB did not need isolation. Infection control efforts should be focused on accompanying adults and adult visitors.

UNIQUE ASPECTS OF TUBERCULOSIS IN THE PEDIATRIC POPULATION

Therapeutic drug monitoring is a process that allows clinicians to quantitate and control drug therapy. Serum concentration data allow for the explicit determination of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters for individual patients. This information assists the clinician in designing treatment regimens that produce a therapeutic response while minimizing avoidable toxicity. In particular, patients with clinically advanced mycobacterial infections, those with infections caused by strains of M. tuberculosis with acquired drug resistance, or species of nontuberculosis which are inherently drug-resistant, and those with co-morbid conditions such as AIDS may benefit from this process.

Suppurative thrombophlebitis in children: a ten-year experience

OBJECTIVE To determine the clinical and diagnostic features, complications, management and prevention of superficial suppurative thrombophlebitis (ST) in children < 18 years of age. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective review of medical records was performed for patients in two urban hospitals from January 1, 1985, through June 30, 1995, with a discharge diagnosis of phlebitis. RESULTS We identified 21 patients, including 12 neonates, with ST. The majority had underlying medical conditions or preceding invasive procedures and administration of broad spectrum antibiotics or total parenteral nutrition as possible predisposing factors. More than two-thirds had localizing signs (swelling, erythema, induration or a palpable cord); one-third had purulent drainage from the vein. Septicemia was present in one-third of patients. Fever and tenderness were present in older children. Nearly one-half had involvement of an upper extremity. Cultures of vein (63%), blood (67%) or abscess (86%) grew pathogens in most. Gram-positive organisms were predominant; Staphylococcus aureus was isolated from 44%, Gram-negative enterics from 16.7% and Candida species from another 16.7% of patients. Eleven children had vein excision, whereas 10 had only incision and drainage. Complications, including death in one patient, occurred in 33% but could not be correlated with age or method of surgical intervention. CONCLUSIONS ST is a rare but serious nosocomial infection in infants and children that results in substantial morbidity. It should be suspected in any hospitalized child who is or was receiving intravenous fluids and who has fever, localizing signs or persistent bacteremia. Prompt vein excision, with adjunctive antimicrobial therapy, is the recommended treatment.

Meningitis caused by lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus in a patient with leukemia.

We report a case of 15-year-old girl with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia who had fever, neutropenia, and severe headache while receiving maintenance chemotherapy. Cerebrospinal fluid testing revealed a lymphocytic pleocytosis and no evidence of relapsed leukemia. Meningitis caused by lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus was identified serologically. The patients course was complicated by hydrocephalus requiring ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement and by an intracranial hemorrhage. Lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus is a rare cause of aseptic meningitis that should be considered in the symptomatic immunocompromised patient with an appropriate exposure history.

Incidence of Tuberculosis in Olmsted County, Minnesota, 1990-2001

OBJECTIVE To describe and compare the incidence and clinical characteristics of tuberculosis in Olmsted County, Minnesota, among US-born and foreign-born persons. PATIENTS AND METHODS We performed a retrospective cohort study at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn, of all residents of Olmsted County (2000 population: 124,277) diagnosed as having tuberculosis between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 2001. Potential cases were identified with use of a computerized diagnostic coding database and microbiological laboratory data; all identified medical records were abstracted. Definite cases were those in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis was recovered in culture. Probable cases were those that met predefined clinical or radiographic evidence of tuberculosis and other criteria. Age-specific, sex-specific, and country of origin-specific incidence rates were calculated with use of Olmsted County census data. Variables were compared among risk groups using the Fisher exact test. RESULTS During a 12-year period, 71 cases of tuberculosis (53 definite, 18 probable) were identified, for an incidence of 5.3 per 100,000 person-years. Of these cases, 54 (76%) occurred during the second half of the study (incidence: 7.7 per 100,000 person-years). The incidence among US-born persons was similar throughout the study period; however, the Incidence among foreign-born persons increased more than 3-fold during the second half of the study period. Twenty-five patients (35%) were former refugees. All isoniazid-resistant infections (12% of isolates) and multidrug-resistant infections (6% of isolates) occurred among foreign-born persons. CONCLUSION The incidence of tuberculosis increased substantially in Olmsted County between 1990 and 2001, primarily because of an increase in the number of cases among foreign-born persons.