Bloodstream infections (BSI) caused by carbapenem-resistant K. pneumoniae (CRKP) are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality. Early identification of patients at highest risk is very important. The aim of this study was to describe the clinical characteristics and mortality of K. pneumoniae BSI and to identify risk factors associated with CRKP BSI among paediatric patients. From January 2011 to December 2014, a retrospective case-control study was conducted at Beijing Children’s Hospital, China. Risk factors for CRKP BSI and for K. pneumoniae BSI-related death were evaluated. Patients with BSI caused by K. pneumoniae were identified from the microbiology laboratory database. Data regarding demographic, microbiological and clinical characteristics, therapy and outcome were collected from the medical records. A total of 138 patients with K. pneumoniae BSI were enrolled, including 54 patients with CRKP BSI and 84 patients with carbapenem-susceptible K. pneumoniae (CSKP) BSI. Most of the BSI (114; 82.6%) were healthcare-associated, while the rest (24; 17.4%) were community-acquired. Hematologic malignancies (odds ratio (OR):4.712, [95% CI: 2.181–10.180], P < 0.001) and previous cephalosporin administration (OR: 3.427, [95% CI: 1.513–7.766], P = 0.003) were found to be associated with the development of CRKP BSI. 28-day mortality of K. pneumoniae BSI was 8.7%. Mechanical ventilation (OR:9.502, [95% CI: 2.098–43.033], P = 0.003), septic shock (OR:6.418, [95% CI: 1.342–30.686], P = 0.020), and isolation of CRKP (OR:9.171, [95% CI: 1.546–54.416], P = 0.015) were independent risk factors for 28-day mortality of K. pneumoniae BSI. Hematologic malignancies and previous cephalosporin administration were associated with the development of CRKP BSI, while mechanical ventilation, septic shock and CRKP infection were independent mortality predictors for K. pneumoniae BSI. More attention should be paid to CRKP BSI in the paediatric population.

There is currently no research on the diagnostic value of metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS) for a single pathogens in CSF. The aim of this study was to analyse the value of mNGS for identifying Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae) in paediatric bacterial meningitis. Bacterial meningitis (BM) cases from October 23, 2014, to December 31, 2016, and December 1, 2017, to July 31, 2018 at Beijing Children’s Hospital were reviewed. Clinical features and pathogens were analysed. We diagnosed 135 patients with BM in this study. A total of 43 S. pneumoniae were identified by combination methods. 26/135 (19.3%) patients had positive results in S. pneumoniae by blood and/or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture. Alere BinaxNow®Streptococcus pneumoniae Antigen test was positive in 35/135(25.9%) cases. 32/135 (23.7%) S. pneumoniae were identified by mNGS. Six CSF samples were identified as S. pneumoniae only by mNGS technology. Taking culture as the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of mNGS for diagnosing S. pneumoniae meningitis were 73.1 and 88.1%, respectively. The positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of diagnosing S. pneumoniae meningitis by mNGS were 59.4 and 93.2%, respectively. When comparison between mNGS and combined tests (culture and Alere BinaxNow®Streptococcus pneumoniae Antigen test), the sensitivity and specificity of mNGS for S. pneumoniae identification were 70.3 and 93.9%, the PPV and NPV in the identification of S. pneumoniae by mNGS were 81.4 and 89.3%, respectively. The difference in number of unique reads of S. pneumoniaein from CSF sample (< 14 days onset) and CSF sample (> 14 days from onset) was statistically significant (170.5 VS. 13, P = 0.019). The difference in the collected time of CSF for culture and mNGS was statistically significant (4 days VS. 14 days, P < 0.001). mNGS has high sensitivity and specificity for S. pneumoniae identification. The pathogen load (number of unique reads) of S. pneumonia is related to the CSF collection time. mNGS was less affected than culture by the use of antibiotics before CSF collection.

To explore the clinical characteristics and etiology of bacterial meningitis (BM) in Chinese children. BM cases in children 28days to 18 years old were collected from January 2014-December 2016 and screened according to World Health Organization standards. Clinical features, pathogens, and resistance patterns were analyzed. Overall, 837 cases were classified into five age groups: 28 days-2 months (17.0%), 3-11 months (27.8%), 12-35 months (24.0%), 3-6 years (13.9%), and >6years (17.3%). Major pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae (S. pneumoniae, n=136, 46.9%), group B Streptococcus (GBS, n=29, 10.0%), and Escherichia coli (E. coli, n=23, 7.9%). In infants 3 months old, S. pneumoniae (54.7%), which had a penicillin non-susceptibility rate of 55.4% (36/65), was most frequent. The resistance rates of S. pneumoniae and E. coli to cefotaxime and ceftriaxone were 14.0%/40.0% and 11.3%/68.4%, respectively. All GBS isolates were sensitive to penicillin. The occurrence of BM peaked in the first year of life, while S. pneumoniae was the predominant pathogen in children >3months of old. The antibiotic resistance of S. pneumoniae was a concern.

Disseminated cryptococcosis is a rare and fatal disease, and limited data exist regarding it in children. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of disseminated cryptococcosis in previously healthy children in China. Hospitalized patients with disseminated cryptococcosis were enrolled during January 1996 to December 2015 in Beijing Children’s Hospital, Capital Medical University, China. Data on clinical manifestations, laboratory tests, treatment, and prognosis were evaluated. A total of 52 pediatric patients with no underlying disease were enrolled, including 38 boys and 14 girls. Only 10 cases had a history of exposure to pigeon droppings. Fever, cough, and hepatomegaly were 3 main manifestations of disseminated cryptococcosis. However, headache was more common in patients with central nervous system (CNS) invasion than in patients with non-CNS invasion (P < 0.05). Lung (96.2%, 50/52) was the most commonly invaded organ, but only 9.6% (5/52) of patients had respiratory signs. The most common findings on chest imaging were hilar or mediastinal lymphadenopathy (46.8%, 22/47), and nodules (44.7%, 21/47), including small nodules in a scattered distribution (57.1%, 12/21) or miliary distribution (42.9%, 9/25), especially localized in subpleural area. Subsequent invasion occurred in the CNS, abdomen lymph nodes, liver, spleen, peripheral lymph nodes, and skin. In all patients, 42.3% (22/52) and 51.9% (27/52) had elevated eosinophils or IgE, respectively. The positive rate of serum cryptococcal antigen was higher, especially in patients with CNS invasion (approximately 83.3%), than with other primary methods used for pathogen detection, including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cryptococcal antigen, cultures of blood, bone marrow, or CSF, and CSF ink staining. The overall mortality rate of pediatric patients in our study was 11.5% (6/52). Some cases had long-term sequela, including hydrocephalus, cirrhosis, or blindness. Disseminated cryptococcosis can occur in previously healthy or immunocompetent children in China. Lung and CNS were most commonly invaded by this disease. Furthermore, most cases usually showed no obvious or specific symptoms or signs, and therefore pediatricians should pay more careful attention to identify this disease.