FRIDAY, Feb. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Despite the subtle clinical presentation of Kingella kingae (K. kingae) infection, it is increasingly becoming recognized as a common cause of pediatric diseases, highlighting the importance of a high index of suspicion, according to a review published online Feb. 14 in Pediatrics.
Pablo Yagupsky, M.D., from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beer-Sheva, Israel, and colleagues reviewed K. kingae infections, analyzing transmission, virulence factors, typical presentations, and treatment recommendations.
The researchers found that pediatric osteoarticular infections, bacteremia, and endocarditis are progressively being recognized as being caused by K. kingae. These bacteria colonize the posterior pharynx of young children and are transmitted through close personal contact; day care attendance increases the risk for colonization and transmission. In otherwise healthy children, more than 95 percent of K. kingae infections are diagnosed from age 6 months to 48 months. K. kingae diseases can also occur in older children with underlying medical conditions. Clinical presentation of K. kingae disease is usually subtle and can present with normal levels of acute-phase reactants, which is cause for a high index of suspicion. Beta-lactam antibiotics are usually effective against K. kingae infections, outside of endocarditis.
"Increasing use of novel microbiologic methods and familiarity of clinical microbiology laboratories with the identification of K. kingae will expand our current knowledge of this intriguing pediatric pathogen," the authors write.
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