John L. Green

Adverse and beneficial effects of immediate treatment of Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal pharyngitis with penicillin.

One hundred forty-two children with presumed Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) pharyngitis were enrolled in a randomized double blind prospective study comparing the consequences of immediate penicillin treatment with treatment delayed for 48 to 56 hours. One hundred fourteen of the enrolled patients were culture-positive. An adverse impact of early antibiotic therapy was noted; the incidence of subsequent infections with GABHS was significantly greater in those treated at the initial office visit with penicillin. In the month following documented evaluation of GABHS, a recurrence occurred 2 times more frequently in those treated with penicillin immediately compared with those for whom treatment was delayed 48 to 56 hours. Late recurrences (beyond 1 month but in the same streptococcal season) occurred 8 times more frequently (P less than 0.035). Delay in penicillin treatment did not increase GABHS intrafamilial spread. Symptoms of both groups were assessed for 2 days following the initiation of treatment. Both placebo-treated and penicillin-treated groups used aspirin or acetaminophen ad libitum. Penicillin was shown to reduce fever and relieve sore throat, dysphagia, headache, abdominal pain, lethargy and anorexia significantly beyond that achieved with aspirin or acetaminophen alone. Penicillin had no effect on culture-negative cases.

The child-health nurse (pediatric nurse practitioner) in private practice. A controlled trial.

Abstract Four registered nurses who had been inactive in nursing were recruited for half-time work and were trained in a four-month program to provide well-child care and telephone-call management of general pediatric problems. During 1969, 1220 newborn infants were assigned in alternate fashion either to team care (pediatrician with trained nurse) or to pediatricians care alone. For team patients, the nurse alone conducted alternate well-child visits. Data accumulated over two years indicated (1) care by a child-health nurse and pediatrician team was of a quality equal to care by the pediatrician alone; (2) team care was acceptable to parents as well as health professionals; and (3) physicians received fewer telephone calls from team patients. On the other hand, the physicians were involved in somewhat more than the expected half of the well-child visits made by the experimental group.

Recurrent group A streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis.

OBJECTIVE To examine the epidemiology and treatment of group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) recurrent tonsillopharyngitis in private pediatric practice. METHODS This was a retrospective chart review study covering the time span 1975 to 1996 involving 2140 GABHS episodes. Diagnosis was based on acute clinical symptoms and laboratory confirmation (throat culture or positive rapid antigen detection test) of GABHS. RESULTS Eighty percent (n=1721) of the episodes evaluated were treated with penicillin or amoxicillin; 352 (20.5%) of these were followed by a recurrence within 30 days and 519 (30.2%) within 60 days. GABHS recurrences within 30 days after penicillin/amoxicillin treatment rose from 9% in 1975 to 1979 to 25.9% in 1980 to 1984, 24.2% in 1985 to 1989, 22.4% in 1990 to 1994 and 25.9% in 1995 to 1996 (P < 0.02); 53.4% of the recurrences were associated with symptoms and signs of GABHS tonsillopharyngitis, 9.9% were asymptomatic and 36.7% could not be classified. Recurrences within 60 days after penicillin/ amoxicillin treatment rose from 10.7% in 1975 to 1979 to 38.7% in 1980 to 1984, 39.0% in 1985 to 1989, 31.7% in 1990 to 1994 and 37.5% in 1995 to 1996 (P < 0.001). Recurrent GABHS infections occurred more frequently in younger children (1 to 8 years of age, 21.3% recurrence rate) than in adolescents (13 to 19 years, 5% recurrence rate; P=0.002). Recurrences within 30 days occurred more often after therapy with penicillin (21.8% of 1581 episodes) than with cephalosporins (8.6% of 254 episodes) (P < 0.0001) or with macrolides (14.0% of 143 episodes, P=0.04). Recurrence rates were unaffected by patient gender or season of the year. CONCLUSIONS Recurrent GABHS infections occur more frequently in the 1990s than the 1970s, occur more frequently in children younger than 8 years of age than in adolescents and occur more frequently after penicillin treatment than with alternative antibiotic therapy.

Outcomes After Judicious Antibiotic Use for Respiratory Tract Infections Seen in a Private Pediatric Practice

Background. Most respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in children have a viral cause, they resolve on their own, and antibiotics need not be prescribed. Objective. We sought to provide evidence that judicious antibiotic use can be accomplished in private pediatric practice without observing an increase in return office visits or in the rate of bacterial infections that may follow. Study Design. This was a prospective 12-month study from July 1, 1996 through June 30, 1997. On the same 1 day each week, a representative convenience sample of acute respiratory tract illness patients was enrolled, and laboratory studies performed as appropriate, including viral cultures on all. Children were then followed for 30 days to ascertain the outcomes of not prescribing antibiotics except when specific bacterial infections were present at the initial visit. Results. Three hundred eighty-three children were enrolled; 293 (77%) did not receive antibiotics at the enrollment visit. Ninety children (23%) received antibiotics based on a diagnosis of acute otitis media (n = 53), acute streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis (n = 18), or other presumed or documented bacterial infections (n = 19). An unscheduled return visit related to the initial visit occurred for 86 (29%) of the 293 children not receiving antibiotics initially and in 40 (44%) of 90 children receiving antibiotics initially. Eighty-seven children (23%) had positive viral culture results. The most frequently isolated viruses were adenovirus, enterovirus, parainfluenzae virus, and influenza virus. Conclusion. Children with RTIs without a concomitant presumed or proven bacterial infection do not require antibiotics. In this busy office practice, >75% of the children presenting with an RTI did not have a presumed or proven bacterial infection. These children did not have a higher rate of return office visits or an increase in bacterial infections. This reinforces the judicious use of antibiotics in managing children with RTIs. outcomes, antibiotic, respiratory infections.

Reactogenicity and immunogenicity of a three-component acellular pertussis vaccine administered as the primary series to 2, 4 and 6 month old infants in the United States

Five hundred and fifty-seven infants received either an acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccine containing pertussis toxoid (PT), filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA) and pertactin (PRN) or one of two commercially available whole-cell pertussis (DTP) vaccines at 2, 4 and 6 months. One month after the third immunization, IgG antibody values to pertussis toxoid, filamentous hemagglutinin and PRN were significantly greater following DTaP than either DTP (P < 0.05). When reactions within 48 h after all three doses of vaccine were combined, fever 101 degrees, > or = moderate fussiness, > or = moderate pain, swelling 10 mm, and erythema 10 mm occurred less often after DTaP compared with DTP-Connaught (P < 0.001). The same adverse events were also less after DTaP compared with DTP-Lederle (P < 0.05), except for erythema 10 mm. This three-component DTaP vaccine produced fewer adverse events and greater antibody values to PT, FHA and PRN in comparison with either licensed DTP vaccine when given as the primary series.

Comparison of a three-component acellular pertussis vaccine with whole cell pertussis vaccine in two-month-old children.

An acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) containing pertussis toxoid, filamentous hemagglutinin and the 69-kDa outer membrane protein (pertactin) was compared with United States-licensed whole cell pertussis vaccine (DTwP) as a three dose sequence at 2, 4 and 6 months of age. Eighty infants were enrolled; 62 received DTaP and 18 received DTwP. Sixty-two infants had preimmunization and 1 month postimmunization sera available for pertussis antibodies. No infant experienced a serious adverse reaction. Significantly fewer infants in the DTaP group experienced irritability (P < 0.001) and moderate to severe injection site pain and redness (P < 0.001, and P = 0.03, respectively). The DTaP group also had significantly greater increases in geometric mean titers of antibodies against filamentous hemagglutinin (P < 0.001) and pertactin (P = 0.006). This three-component DTaP vaccine induced an antibody response to pertussis toxin, filamentous hemagglutinin and pertactin but caused fewer adverse reactions than DTwP when administered as a primary series of immunization to 2-month-old infants.

A comparative evaluation of the safety and immunogenicity of a single dose of unbuffered oral rhesus rotavirus serotype 3, rhesus/human reassortant serotypes 1, 2 and 4 and combined (tetravalent) vaccines in healthy infants

To assess safety and immunogenicity, 213 healthy infants aged 6 weeks to 4 months were randomized to receive a single dose of placebo, a 10(4) or 10(5) p.f.u. dose of rhesus rotavirus (RRV) serotype 3, human-RRV reassortant (VP-7 serotypes 1, 2 or 4) or a 10(4) or 10(5) p.f.u. dose of tetravalent rotavirus vaccine (containing equal parts of serotype 1, 2, 3 and 4 strains). The infants were fed ad libitum before and after vaccination; no buffer was used. For 7 days after vaccination, potential vaccine side effects were monitored, and no significant differences were noted for any symptom evaluated among the single serotype, tetravalent or placebo groups. Sera, obtained before and 28 days after vaccination, were measured for antibody to rotavirus by IgG, IgA and IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in all subjects, and by neutralizing antibody to the individual serotypes by plaque reduction in placebo and tetravalent vaccinees. The serological response rates for serotypes 1, 2, 3, 4 and the tetravalent vaccine were 25, 12, 19, 11 and 22%, respectively, at 10(4) p.f.u.; 47, 50, 35, 29 and 61%, respectively, at 10(5) p.f.u.; and 37% for placebo. The tetravalent vaccine was more immunogenic at 10(5) than at 10(4) p.f.u. (p = 0.04). Grouped together, the vaccines at 10(5) p.f.u. (single serotype and tetravalent) were more immunogenic than the vaccines at 10(4) p.f.u. (38 of 85 versus 17 of 94 seroresponders; p < 0.001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)