Interpretation of Cerebrospinal Fluid White Blood Cell Counts in Young Infants With a Traumatic Lumbar Puncture

Clinical Utility of CSF Correction Factors for Traumatic Lumbar Puncture in Adults

Objectives

To identify indicators of false pleocytosis in adults with traumatic lumbar puncture (LP), and determine specificities and sensitivities of commonly used CSF correction factors.

Methods

Adults who underwent 4-tube CSF collection were reviewed. Study inclusion required elevated tube 1 red blood cell (RBC) count, tube 1 pleocytosis, and normalized tube 4 RBC count. Tube 4 white blood cell (WBC) count served as the reference standard. Specificities and sensitivities of 3 correction factors (1 WBC:500 RBC, 1 WBC:1000 RBC, and 1 WBC:1500 RBC) were calculated.

Results

One hundred ninety-five adults were included. Among them, 106 (54%) had false tube 1 pleocytosis; these patients had a significantly higher median CSF RBC count and lower median CSF WBC count than those with true tube 1 pleocytosis. Specificities and sensitivities of correction factors ranged from 71.7% to 29.2% and 84.3% to 97.8%, respectively; 1 WBC:500 RBC had highest specificity for pleocytosis, while 1 WBC:1500 RBC had highest sensitivity. Irrespective of correction factor used, false-positive and false-negative determinations of pleocytosis were usually mild (≤20 WBCs/μL).

Discussion

Indicators of false pleocytosis in adults with traumatic LP include bloodier CSF and milder pleocytosis, suggesting that correction factors are most useful in such cases. Across correction factors, an expected specificity/sensitivity tradeoff is observed. Corrected CSF WBC counts suggesting only mild pleocytosis should be interpreted cautiously.

Utility of cell index in the diagnosis of healthcare-associated ventriculitis and meningitis: an analytical cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

The diagnosis of healthcare-associated ventriculitis and meningitis (HCAVM) can be complex because multiple factors confound the interpretation of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tests. The cell index (CI) may help in the diagnosis of HCAVM. It does not incur additional medical cost and it avoids delays from the turnaround time of CSF cultures. It is derived by calculating the ratio of CSF white blood cell (WBC) and red blood cell (RBC) divided by the ratio of peripheral WBC and RBC. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic utility of this parameter.

METHODS

An analytic, observational, cross-sectional study was conducted at the University of the Philippines - Philippine General Hospital. All admitted pediatric and adult patients from 2015 to 2022 who underwent external ventricular drain (EVD) insertion for hydrocephalus secondary to intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), acute ischemic stroke, intracranial neoplasms, traumatic brain injury, or congenital hydrocephalus were screened. Records of patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria were then reviewed.

RESULTS

A total of 363 patients underwent EVD insertion from 2015 to 2022. Of these, 161 were included in the study. Two-thirds (66.5%) were adults ≥ 19 years old whereas the remaining were pediatric patients 1 to < 19 years old. There were no patients < 12 months old as they fulfilled at least one exclusion criteria. Forty-nine of them were later confirmed to have HCAVM based on the CDC/NHSN criteria. A CI cut-off of ≥ 1.21 gave a maximum sensitivity of 30.6% and specificity of 86.4%. Receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (AUC-ROC) analysis was 0.585. Subgroup analysis by age showed sensitivity of 52.9% in the pediatric age group and 3.13% in adults. Subgroup analysis by neurologic indication showed sensitivity of 27.6% for ICH and 35.0% for neoplasms. Subsequent AUC-ROC analyses, however, showed that CI failed to adequately diagnose HCAVM in these subgroups.

CONCLUSIONS

In our population of neurologic patients who underwent EVD insertion, the cell index is not a reliable parameter in the diagnosis of HCAVM.

Neurological Symptoms and Cause of Death Among Young Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

Importance

The emergence of acute neurological symptoms in children necessitates immediate intervention. Although low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear the highest burden of neurological diseases, there is a scarcity of diagnostic and therapeutic resources. Therefore, current understanding of the etiology of neurological emergencies in LMICs relies mainly on clinical diagnoses and verbal autopsies.

Objective

To characterize the association of premortem neurological symptoms and their management with postmortem-confirmed cause of death among children aged younger than 5 years in LMICs and to identify current gaps and improve strategies to enhance child survival.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This cross-sectional study was conducted between December 3, 2016, and July 22, 2022, at the 7 participating sites in the Child Health and Mortality Prevention Surveillance (CHAMPS) network (Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, and South Africa). Minimally invasive tissue sampling was performed at the CHAMPS sites with specimens from deceased children aged younger than 5 years. This study included deceased children who underwent a premortem neurological evaluation and had a postmortem-confirmed cause of death. Data analysis was performed between July 22, 2022, and January 15, 2023.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Descriptive analysis was performed using neurological evaluations from premortem clinical records and from postmortem determination of cause of death (based on histopathology, microbiological testing, clinical records, and verbal autopsies).

Results

Of the 2127 deaths of children codified during the study period, 1330 (62.5%) had neurological evaluations recorded and were included in this analysis. The 1330 children had a median age of 11 (IQR, 2-324) days; 745 (56.0%) were male and 727 (54.7%) presented with neurological symptoms during illness before death. The most common postmortem-confirmed neurological diagnoses related to death were hypoxic events (308 [23.2%]), meningoencephalitis (135 [10.2%]), and cerebral malaria (68 [5.1%]). There were 12 neonates with overlapping hypoxic events and meningoencephalitis, but there were no patients with overlapping meningoencephalitis and cerebral malaria. Neurological symptoms were similar among diagnoses, and no combination of symptoms was accurate in differentiating them without complementary tools. However, only 25 children (18.5%) with meningitis had a lumbar puncture performed before death. Nearly 90% of deaths (442 of 511 [86.5%]) with neurological diagnoses in the chain of events leading to death were considered preventable.

Conclusions and Relevance

In this cross-sectional study of children aged younger than 5 years, neurological symptoms were frequent before death. However, clinical phenotypes were insufficient to differentiate the most common underlying neurological diagnoses. The low rate of lumbar punctures performed was especially worrying, suggesting a challenge in quality of care of children presenting with neurological symptoms. Improved diagnostic management of neurological emergencies is necessary to ultimately reduce mortality in this vulnerable population.

Incidence of Traumatic Lumbar Punctures in Neonates and Infants

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study is to examine factors accounting for the incidence of traumatic lumbar puncture (TLP) in infants younger than 1 year old.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) data from 1,240 neonatal (≤28 days) and 399 infant lumbar puncture (LP) procedures was conducted. Data from two successive LP procedures were obtained from 108 patients. Logistic regression analysis was used to assess factors accounting for the incidence of TLP in the second LP procedure. The following categorical variables were entered into the model: whether the first procedure was traumatic according to criteria of ≥500 and ≥10,000 erythrocytes/µL, whether the LP procedures were performed within a week, and whether the patient was neonatal at the first procedure.

RESULTS

The incidences of TLP were 42.9% in neonates and 22.5% in infants for the criterion of ≥500 erythrocytes/µL, and 16.6 and 10.3% for the criterion of ≥10,000 erythrocytes/µL. Compared with a nontraumatic first LP procedure, if the first procedure was traumatic according to the criterion of ≥10,000 erythrocytes/µL, the odds ratio (OR) of TLP in the second procedure was 5.86 (p = 0.006). Compared with a longer time, if the successive procedures were performed within a week, the OR of TLP was 9.06 (p < 0.0001) according to the criteria of ≥500 erythrocytes/µL and 3.34 (p = 0.045) according to the criteria of ≥10,000 erythrocytes/µL. If the patient was neonatal at the first procedure, the OR of TLP at the second puncture was 0.32 (p = 0.031) according to the criterion of ≥500 erythrocytes/µL.

CONCLUSION

The incidence of TLP in neonates is twice as high as that in infants. Successive LP procedures performed within a week and a highly blood-contaminated CSF sample in the first procedure each multiplied the odds of TLP in the second procedure, whereas being a neonate at the time of the first procedure reduced the odds of TLP.

KEY POINTS

· Traumatic LPs increase diagnostic uncertainty.. · Traumatic LPs are twice as common in neonates as in infants.. · Two LPs performed within a week multiplied the odds of traumatic LP.. · Erythrocyte-based criteria for traumatic LP affect the incidence of TLP..

Meta-analysis of Cerebrospinal Fluid Cell Count and Biochemistry to Diagnose Meningitis in Infants Aged < 90 Days

OBJECTIVE

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white blood cell (WBC) count, protein, and glucose (cytochemistry) are performed to aid in the diagnosis of meningitis in young infants. However, studies have reported varying diagnostic accuracies. We assessed the diagnostic accuracy of CSF cytochemistry in infants below 90 days and determined the certainty of evidence.

STUDY DESIGN

We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Ovid, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Scopus databases in August 2021. We included studies that evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of CSF cytochemistry compared with CSF culture, Gram stain, or polymerase chain reaction in neonates and young infants <90 days with suspected meningitis. We pooled data using the hierarchical summary receiver operator characteristic (ROC) model.

RESULTS

Of the 10,720 unique records, 16 studies were eligible for meta-analysis, with a cumulative sample size of 31,695 (15 studies) for WBC, 12,936 (11 studies) for protein, and 1,120 (4 studies) for glucose. The median (Q1, Q3) specificities of WBC, protein, and glucose were 87 (82, 91), 89 (81, 94), and 91% (76, 99), respectively. The pooled sensitivities (95% confidence interval [CI]) at median specificity of WBC count, protein, and glucose were 90 (88, 92), 92 (89, 94), and 71% (54, 85), respectively. The area (95% CI) under ROC curves were 0.89 (0.87, 0.90), 0.87 (0.85, 0.88), and 0.81 (0.74, 0.88) for WBC, protein, and glucose, respectively. There was an unclear/high risk of bias and applicability concern in most studies. Overall certainty of the evidence was moderate. A bivariate model-based analysis to estimate the diagnostic accuracy at specific thresholds could not be conducted due to a paucity of data.

CONCLUSION

CSF WBC and protein have good diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis of meningitis in infants below 90 days of age. CSF glucose has good specificity but poor sensitivity. However, we could not identify enough studies to define an optimal threshold for the positivity of these tests.

KEY POINTS

· Median specificity of CSF leucocyte count, protein and glucose are similar in young infants.. · At median specificity, CSF leukocyte count and protein are more sensitive than glucose.. · Owing to inadequate data, bivariate modelling to suggest optimal diagnostic thresholds is not possible..

La prise en charge des nourrissons de 90 jours ou moins, fiévreux mais dans un bon état général

On constate des pratiques très variées en matière d'évaluation et de prise en charge des jeunes nourrissons fiévreux. Bien que la plupart des jeunes nourrissons fiévreux mais dans un bon état général soient atteints d'une maladie virale, il est essentiel de détecter ceux qui sont à risque de présenter des infections bactériennes invasives, notamment une bactériémie et une méningite bactérienne. Le présent document de principes porte sur les nourrissons de 90 jours ou moins dont la température rectale est de 38,0 °C ou plus, mais qui semblent être dans un bon état général. Il est conseillé d'appliquer les récents critères de stratification du risque pour orienter la prise en charge, ainsi que d'intégrer la procalcitonine à l'évaluation diagnostique. Les décisions sur la prise en charge des nourrissons qui satisfont aux critères de faible risque devraient refléter la probabilité d'une maladie, tenir compte de l'équilibre entre les risques et les préjudices potentiels et faire participer les parents ou les proches aux décisions lorsque diverses options sont possibles. La prise en charge optimale peut également dépendre de considérations pragmatiques, telles que l'accès à des examens diagnostiques, à des unités d'observation, à des soins tertiaires et à un suivi. Des éléments particuliers, tels que la mesure de la température, le risque d'infection invasive à Herpes simplex et la fièvre postvaccinale, sont également abordés.

Management of well-appearing febrile young infants aged ≤90 days

The evaluation and management of young infants presenting with fever remains an area of significant practice variation. While most well-appearing febrile young infants have a viral illness, identifying those at risk for invasive bacterial infections, specifically bacteremia and bacterial meningitis, is critical. This statement considers infants aged ≤90 days who present with a rectal temperature ≥38.0°C but appear well otherwise. Applying recent risk-stratification criteria to guide management and incorporating diagnostic testing with procalcitonin are advised. Management decisions for infants meeting low-risk criteria should reflect the probability of disease, consider the balance of risks and potential harm, and include parents/caregivers in shared decision-making when options exist. Optimal management may also be influenced by pragmatic considerations, such as access to diagnostic investigations, observation units, tertiary care, and follow-up. Special considerations such as temperature measurement, risk for invasive herpes simplex infection, and post-immunization fever are also discussed.

Proportion of Successful Lumbar Punctures in Infants Younger Than Three Months

It is important to perform lumbar punctures (LPs) without a single traumatic tap in infants younger than three months owing to the risk of serious complications. The proportion of LPs in which clear cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was obtained has been previously reported, but some of the procedures involved a traumatic tap. The present study aimed to identify the proportion of LPs in which clear CSF was obtained without a single traumatic tap and the factors associated with successful LPs in infants younger than three months. This retrospective, observational study included children younger than three months who underwent an LP in the pediatric emergency department between April 2018 and March 2021. The primary outcome was the proportion of successful LPs, defined as LPs obtaining clear CSF without a single traumatic tap. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors related to successful LPs. Of 126 eligible patients, 121 were included. Among these, 83 (69%) were in the successful group. No factors significantly associated with successful LPs were found. Larger studies based on an accurate definition of successful LPs, such as that provided by this study, are needed to investigate related factors to increase the rate of successful LPs in this age group.

A previous champagne tap reduces the probability of traumatic lumbar puncture in the following procedure

A cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample containing no red blood cells (RBC), colloquially known as a champagne tap, is an ideal outcome of a lumbar puncture (LP). In this pseudoprospective study of 2573 patients aged from 0 days to 95 years, we examined in four different age categories (neonates and infants, children and adolescents, adults, and older adults) whether a champagne tap in the patient's first LP procedure and a shorter time than 1 week between the two successive procedures are independently associated with fewer blood-contaminated CSF samples (traumatic LP) in the following procedure. One out of five CSF samples from the patient's first LP procedures were RBC-free on average, varying from about 9% in neonates and infants to about 36% in children and adolescents. The mean incidence of champagne taps was 19.5%. According to binary logistic regression, a champagne tap in the previous LP procedure significantly determined whether the following procedure was not blood-contaminated. The odds of traumatic LP were halved or even reduced tenfold after a champagne tap. Less than a week between the two successive procedures, in turn, multiplied the odds of traumatic LP in the latter even more than tenfold. A champagne tap was not significantly associated with traumatic LP in the following procedure among pediatric patients. If the patient's condition or therapy plan permits and the blood contamination can compromise the reliability of the CSF-based analysis and consequent diagnosis, postponing the LP procedure by several days is advisable to improve the odds of receiving a high-quality CSF sample.

Detection of enterovirus in cerebrospinal fluids without pleocytosis in febrile infants under 3 months old reduces antibiotherapy duration

Background

Infants under 3 months old with fever often receive empirical antibiotic treatment. Enterovirus is one of the leading causes of infection and aseptic meningitis but is not systematically screened. We aimed to evaluate enterovirus positive RT-PCR proportion in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with no pleocytosis and its impact on antibiotic treatment duration.

Methods

During the enterovirus endemic season, from 2015 to 2018, we retrospectively studied infants under 3 months old, consulting for fever without cause, with normal CSF analysis, and receiving empirical antibiotic treatment. Clinical and biological data were analyzed, notably enterovirus RT-PCR results. The primary outcome was the duration of antibiotic therapy.

Results

92 patients were recruited. When tested, 41% of infants were positive for enterovirus, median antibiotic duration was reduced in enterovirus positive in comparison to negative patients with respectively 1.9 [interquartile range (IQR), 1.7-2] vs. 4.1 [IQR, 2-6], p < 0.001. No clinical nor biological features differed according to the enterovirus status.

Conclusion

In this population, enterovirus positive CSF are frequent despite the absence of pleocytosis. However, its research was not guided by clinical or biological presentations. Systematic and routine use of enterovirus RT-PCR during enterovirus season, regardless of CSF cell count, could reduce the prescription of antibiotics in febrile infants under 3 months old without clinical orientation.

Impact of CSF Meningitis and Encephalitis Panel on Resource Use for Febrile Well-Appearing Infants

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether the BioFire FilmArray Meningitis/Encephalitis (ME) panel is associated with decreased resource use for febrile infants. The ME panel has a rapid turnaround time (1-2 hours) and may shorten length of stay (LOS) and antimicrobial use for febrile well-appearing infants.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study of febrile well-appearing infants ≤60 days with cerebrospinal fluid culture sent in the emergency department from July 2017 to April 2019. We examined the frequency of ME panel use and its relationship with hospital LOS and initiation and duration of antibiotics and acyclovir. We used nonparametric tests to compare median durations.

RESULTS

The ME panel was performed for 85 (36%) of 237 infants. There was no difference in median hospital LOS for infants with versus without ME panel testing (42 hours, interquartile range [IQR] 36-52 vs 40 hours, IQR: 35-47, P = .09). More than 97% of infants with and without ME panel testing were initiated on antibiotics. Patients with ME panel were more likely to receive acyclovir (33% vs 18%; odds ratio: 2.2, 95%: confidence interval 1.2-4.0). There was no difference in median acyclovir duration with or without ME panel testing (1 hour, IQR: 1-7 vs 4.2 hours, IQR: 1-21, P = .10). When adjusting for potential covariates, these findings persisted.

CONCLUSIONS

ME panel use was not associated with differences in hospital LOS, antibiotic initiation, or acyclovir duration in febrile well-appearing infants. ME panel testing was associated with acyclovir initiation.

Traumatic lumbar punctures in diagnostic and intrathecal treatment punctures of pediatric hemato-oncology patients

Successful first diagnostic lumbar puncture (LP) is crucial because intrathecal chemotherapy has not yet protected the central nervous system against cancer cells. If blood contaminates the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with blasts, they may enter the central neural system and compromise the patient's health. We retrospectively determined the incidence of traumatic lumbar punctures (TLP) in 2,507 LPs of 250 pediatric hemato-oncology patients aged from one to 18 years, including both diagnostic and intrathecal treatment procedures, and 2,617 LPs of 1,525 other age-matched pediatric patients. We used ≥10 erythrocytes/µL in the CSF sample as the criterion of TLP. TLPs were less frequent in hemato-oncology patients than in other patients (31.6% vs. 48.5%, p < 0.0001). The incidence of TLP was significantly lower in the first diagnostic LP than in subsequent intrathecal treatment LPs (20.5% vs. 31.6%, p = 0.0046). According to logistic regression analysis, the odds of TLP was 1.6-fold if the LP procedure was not performed in the hemato-oncology department. The odds of the patient's next LP being traumatic were threefold if the previous first LP was traumatic. A week or less time between the first and next LP tripled the odds of TLP as well. The patient's age category was not significantly associated with the incidence of TLP. Given the risks of TLP, hemato-oncology patients' first diagnostic LP should include administration of chemotherapy, as generally recommended, and be performed under general anesthesia or deep sedation by an experienced physician to optimize not only the success of the first LP procedure but also following procedures.

Serious Bacterial Infections in Young Febrile Infants With Positive Urinalysis Results

It is unknown whether febrile infants 29 to 60 days old with positive urinalysis results require routine lumbar punctures for evaluation of bacterial meningitis.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of bacteremia and/or bacterial meningitis in febrile infants ≤60 days of age with positive urinalysis (UA) results.

METHODS

Secondary analysis of a prospective observational study of noncritical febrile infants ≤60 days between 2011 and 2019 conducted in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network emergency departments. Participants had temperatures ≥38°C and were evaluated with blood cultures and had UAs available for analysis. We report the prevalence of bacteremia and bacterial meningitis in those with and without positive UA results.

RESULTS

Among 7180 infants, 1090 (15.2%) had positive UA results. The risk of bacteremia was higher in those with positive versus negative UA results (63/1090 [5.8%] vs 69/6090 [1.1%], difference 4.7% [3.3% to 6.1%]). There was no difference in the prevalence of bacterial meningitis in infants ≤28 days of age with positive versus negative UA results (∼1% in both groups). However, among 697 infants aged 29 to 60 days with positive UA results, there were no cases of bacterial meningitis in comparison to 9 of 4153 with negative UA results (0.2%, difference -0.2% [-0.4% to -0.1%]). In addition, there were no cases of bacteremia and/or bacterial meningitis in the 148 infants ≤60 days of age with positive UA results who had the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network low-risk blood thresholds of absolute neutrophil count <4 × 103 cells/mm3 and procalcitonin <0.5 ng/mL.

CONCLUSIONS

Among noncritical febrile infants ≤60 days of age with positive UA results, there were no cases of bacterial meningitis in those aged 29 to 60 days and no cases of bacteremia and/or bacterial meningitis in any low-risk infants based on low-risk blood thresholds in both months of life. These findings can guide lumbar puncture use and other clinical decision making.

Interpretation of white blood cell counts in the cerebrospinal fluid of neonates with traumatic lumbar puncture: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Difficulty in interpreting white blood cell (WBC) counts in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) complicates the diagnosis of neonatal meningitis in traumatic lumbar punctures (LP). The aim of our study was to determine the correction factor for WBC counts in traumatic LP that offers the greatest diagnostic efficacy in meningitis.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective observational study of LP in neonates between January 2014 and December 2020. Traumatic LP was defined as a red blood cell (RBC) count ≥ 1,000 cells/mm³ CSF and pleocytosis as WBCs ≥ 20 cells/mm³ CSF. The CSF RBC:WBC ratio was analyzed by linear regression to determine a new correction factor. Cell count adjustments were also studied using the 500:1, the 1,000:1 ratio method, and the peripheral blood RBC:WBC ratio, using ROC curves and studies of accuracy (sensitivity and specificity).

RESULTS

Overall, 41.0% of the 1,053 LPs included in the study were traumatic. The best results for effective WBC correction were the method based on the peripheral blood ratio (sensitivity = 1.0 and specificity = 0.9 for bacterial meningitis and sensitivity = 0.8 and specificity = 0.9 for viral meningitis) and the 400:1 ratio (sensitivity = 1.0 and specificity = 0.8 for bacterial meningitis and sensitivity = 0.8 and specificity = 0.8 for viral meningitis) obtained from linear regression (95% CI 381.7-427.4; R2 = 0.7).

CONCLUSION

Both the peripheral blood correction and the 400:1 correction reduce the number of neonates classified with pleocytosis who were not eventually diagnosed with meningitis. Both methods might be a useful tool to clarify the neonatal meningitis diagnosis, offering neonatologists the possibility to assess the WBC count in traumatic LP.

Fc-MBL-modified Fe3O4 magnetic bead enrichment and fixation in Gram stain for rapid detection of low-concentration bacteria

Functional bacterial enrichment magnetic beads (Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@Fc-MBL) and Gram staining were combined for the fast diagnosis of infecting bacteria in meningitis. Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@Fc-MBL has excellent microbial binding ability and can be used for bacterial enrichment from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The enriched bacteria are recognized by Gram stain at very low concentrations (10 CFU·mL^-1). The feasibility of this method was verified by five common bacteria in meningitis infection (Gram-positive: Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, and Staphylococcus capitis; Gram-negative: Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli). The extraction efficiency of Fc-MBL-modified Fe₃O₄ magnetic beads was approximately 90% in artificial CSF for the selected bacteria, with the exception of E. coli (~ 60%). The bacteria were successfully recognized by Gram staining and microscopic observation. Fe₃O₄@SiO₂@Fc-MBL acts by capturing and fixing the bacteria in a magnetic field throughout the experiment. Compared with traditional CSF Gram staining, this new method avoids interference by inflammatory cells and red blood cells during microscopic examination. Furthermore, the sensitivity of this method is much better than the centrifugation smear method. The whole process can be accomplished within 30 min. This novel method may have potential as a clinical tool for analysis of bacteria in the CSF.

Lumbar puncture in infants with urinary tract infection: Assessment of infant management in the emergency department

BACKGROUND

Neonatal bacterial infections must be bacteriologically confirmed from laboratory samples to best adjust antibiotic therapy. Lumbar puncture (LP) has been recommended for infants younger than 1 month with suspected serious bacterial infection (SBI) to manage possible meningitis. However, the incidence of bacterial meningitis associated with other infections and particularly with urinary tract infections (UTIs) is low. Recourse to systematic LP may be less essential if infants have a UTI. We aimed (a) to determine the management and frequency of bacterial meningitis coexisting with a documented diagnosis of UTI in infants aged < 1 month who had an LP, and (b) to evaluate the management of infants in emergency admissions with suspected SBI while assessing antibiotic treatment.

METHODS

We conducted a retrospective single-center study from January 2010 to April 2019 including all cases of neonatal bacterial infections, and collected data on the clinical, laboratory, and radiological features.

RESULTS

In all, 409 infants were included in the study. Of these, 162 (39.6%) presented with a UTI and eight (2%) had bacterial meningitis. Of the infants diagnosed with UTI, 74.7% had an LP, of whom 34.7% experienced LP complications. No coexistence of UTI and bacterial meningitis was found among infants who had an LP and a documented UTI.

CONCLUSION

Although not all infants had an LP and a urine culture at the same time, these results show that bacterial meningitis coexisting with a confirmed UTI diagnosis in infants is rare. Furthermore, LP can be traumatic in some cases and therefore its utility should be assessed according to the clinical context.

Clinical utility of correction factors for febrile young infants with traumatic lumbar punctures

Objectives

Correction factors have been proposed for traumatic lumbar punctures (LPs) in febrile young infants. However, no studies have assessed their diagnostic utility. We sought to determine the proportion of traumatic LPs safely reclassified as low risk for bacterial meningitis using recently derived white blood cell (WBC) and protein correction factors.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed traumatic LPs among all febrile infants ≤60 days old at two tertiary paediatric hospitals from 2006 through 2018. Traumatic LPs were defined as ≥10,000 RBCs/mm³. Abnormal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) WBCs and protein were adjusted downward using a newly derived correction factor (877 red blood cells [RBCs]: 1 WBC), three commonly used correction factors (500 WBCs: 1 RBC; 1,000 WBCs: 1 WBC; peripheral RBCs: WBCs), and a newly derived protein correction factor (1,000 RBCs: 0.011 g/L protein).

Results

There were 437 traumatic LPs including 357 (82%) with pleocytosis and 4 (0.9%) with bacterial meningitis. Overall, fewer infants were classified as having CSF pleocytosis using 877:1 and 1,000:1 ratios (38% and 43%, respectively), with 100% sensitivity and negative predictive value, and improved specificity (63% for 877:1, 58% for 1,000:1 ratios versus 19% for uncorrected counts). Among infants with pleocytosis, 877:1 and 1,000:1 ratios reclassified 191 (54%) and 171 (48%) as normal with no misclassified bacterial meningitis cases. Ratios of 500:1 and peripheral RBC:WBC misclassified 1 infant that had bacterial meningitis. Corrected CSF protein outperformed uncorrected protein in specificity but did not add diagnostic value following WBC-based correction.

Conclusions

Correction ratios of 877:1 and 1,000:1 safely reclassified half of all febrile infants ≤60 days. These corrections should be considered when interpreting CSF results of traumatic LPs.

Test Characteristics of Cerebrospinal Fluid Gram Stain to Identify Bacterial Meningitis in Infants Younger Than 60 Days

ABSTRACT

In our cohort of 20,947 infants aged 60 days or younger, cerebrospinal fluid Gram stain had a sensitivity of 34.3% (95% confidence interval, 28.1%-41.1%) and a positive predictive value of 61.4% (95% confidence interval, 52.2%-69.8%) for positive cerebrospinal fluid culture, suggesting that Gram stain alone may lead to both underdiagnosis and overdiagnosis of bacterial meningitis.

Cost Analysis of Emergency Department Criteria for Evaluation of Febrile Infants Ages 29 to 90 Days

OBJECTIVE

To compare the medical costs associated with risk stratification criteria used to evaluate febrile infants 29-90 days of age.

STUDY DESIGN

A cost analysis study was conducted evaluating the Boston, Rochester, Philadelphia, Step-by-Step, and PECARN criteria. The percentage of infants considered low risk and rates of missed infections were obtained from published literature. Emergency department costs were estimated from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Health Care Cost and Utilization Project databases were used to estimate the number of infants ages 29-90 days presenting with fever annually and costs for admissions related to missed infections. A probabilistic Markov model with a Dirichlet prior was used to estimate the transition probability distributions for each outcome, and a gamma distribution was used to model costs. A Markov simulation estimated the distribution of expected annual costs per infant and total annual costs.

RESULTS

For low-risk infants, the mean cost per infant for the criteria were Rochester: $1050 (IQR $1004-$1092), Philadelphia: $1416 (IQR, $1365-$1465), Boston: $1460 (IQR, $1411-$1506), Step-by-Step $942 (IQR, $899-$981), and PECARN $1004 (IQR, $956-$1050). An estimated 18 522 febrile 1- to 3-month-old infants present annually and estimated total mean costs for their care by criteria were: Rochester, $127.3 million (IQR, $126.1-$128.5); Philadelphia, $129.9 million (IQR, $128.7-$131.1); Boston, $128.7 million (IQR, $127.5-$129.9); Step-by-Step, $ 126.6 million (IQR, $125.4-$127.8); and PECARN, $125.8 million (IQR, $124.6-$127).

CONCLUSIONS

The Rochester, Step-by-step, and PECARN criteria are the least costly when evaluating infants 29-90 days of age with a fever.

Invasive Bacterial Infections in Afebrile Infants Diagnosed With Acute Otitis Media

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence of invasive bacterial infections (IBIs) and adverse events in afebrile infants with acute otitis media (AOM).

METHODS

We conducted a 33-site cross-sectional study of afebrile infants ≤90 days of age with AOM seen in emergency departments from 2007 to 2017. Eligible infants were identified using emergency department diagnosis codes and confirmed by chart review. IBIs (bacteremia and meningitis) were determined by the growth of pathogenic bacteria in blood or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture. Adverse events were defined as substantial complications resulting from or potentially associated with AOM. We used generalized linear mixed-effects models to identify factors associated with IBI diagnostic testing, controlling for site-level clustering effect.

RESULTS

Of 5270 infants screened, 1637 met study criteria. None of the 278 (0%; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0%-1.4%) infants with blood cultures had bacteremia; 0 of 102 (0%; 95% CI: 0%-3.6%) with CSF cultures had bacterial meningitis; 2 of 645 (0.3%; 95% CI: 0.1%-1.1%) infants with 30-day follow-up had adverse events, including lymphadenitis (1) and culture-negative sepsis (1). Diagnostic testing for IBI varied across sites and by age; overall, 278 (17.0%) had blood cultures, and 102 (6.2%) had CSF cultures obtained. Compared with infants 0 to 28 days old, older infants were less likely to have blood cultures (P < .001) or CSF cultures (P < .001) obtained.

CONCLUSION

Afebrile infants with clinician-diagnosed AOM have a low prevalence of IBIs and adverse events; therefore, outpatient management without diagnostic testing may be reasonable.

The Champagne Tap: Time to Pop the Cork?

BACKGROUND

A "champagne tap" is a lumbar puncture with no cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) red blood cells (RBCs). Clinicians disagree whether the absence of CSF white blood cells (WBCs) is also required.

AIMS

As supervising providers frequently reward trainees after a champagne tap, we investigated how varying the definition impacted the frequency of trainee accolades.

MATERIALS & METHODS

We performed a secondary analysis of a retrospective cross-sectional study of infants ≤60 days of age who had a CSF culture performed in the emergency department (ED) at one of 20 centers participating in a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Collaborative Research Committee (PEM CRC) endorsed study. Our primary outcomes were a champagne tap defined by either a CSF RBC count of 0 cells/mm³ regardless of CSF WBC count or both CSF RBC and WBC counts of 0 cells/mm³ .

RESULTS

Of the 23,618 eligible encounters, 20,358 (86.2%) had both a CSF RBC and WBC count obtained. Overall, 3,147 (13.3%) had a CSF RBC count of 0 cells/mm³ and 377 (1.6%) had both CSF WBC and RBC counts of 0 cells/mm³ (relative rate 8.35, 95% confidence interval 7.51 to 9.27).

CONCLUSIONS

In infants, a lumbar puncture with a CSF RBC count of 0 cells/mm³ regardless of the CSF WBC count occurred eight-times more frequently than one with both CSF WBC and RBC counts of 0 cells/mm³ . A broader champagne tap definition would allow more frequent recognition of procedural success, with the potential to foster a supportive community during medical training, potentially protecting against burnout.

Comparison of Ventricular and Lumbar Cerebrospinal Fluid Composition

Objective Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis is a common diagnostic tool used to evaluate diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). We sought to determine whether there is a difference between the composition of CSF sampled from an external ventricular drain (EVD) and lumbar drain (LD) and whether this made a difference in guiding therapeutic decisions. Patients and Methods This study was a retrospective analysis from a single neurosurgery service between the dates of January 2011 and April 2019. A total of 12,134 patients were screened. Inclusion criteria were ages 18-80 and the presence of both an EVD and LD. Exclusion criteria were not having both routes of CSF sampling and the inability to determine which samples originated from which compartment. Results Six patients underwent simultaneous spinal and ventricular routine CSF sampling <24 hours apart and were analyzed for their compositions. There were 42 samples, but only 20 paired EVD-LD samples that could be analyzed. When comparing the EVD and LD sample compositions, there were statistically significant differences in white blood cells (WBCs; p = 0.040), total protein (p = 0.042), and glucose (p = 0.043). Red blood cells (RBCs; p = 0.104) and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN; p = 0.544) were not statistically significant. We found a statistically significant correlation between cranial and spinal CSF WBC (r = 0.944, p < 0.001), protein (r = 0.679, p = 0.001), and glucose (r = 0.805, p < 0.001). We also found that there was a significant correlation between CSF and serum glucose (r = 0.502, p = 0.040). There was no statistically significant correlation between RBCs (r = 0.276, p = 0.252). Conclusion Our results demonstrate a correlation between the cranial and spinal CSF samples, except for RBCs, with statistically significant differences in WBC, glucose, and protein values between the two sites. This confirms that sampling CSF via lumbar puncture, which carries less risk than a ventriculostomy and provides accurate data to help establish a diagnosis for intracranial pathologies.

Definite bacterial infection in recently vaccinated febrile infants

AIM

There is insufficient evidence regarding the best approach to evaluating recently vaccinated (RV) infants presenting to the paediatric emergency department with fever. The aim of the present study is to determine the prevalence of bacterial infections in infants presenting with fever within 72 h after vaccination.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed the electronic medical record of infants aged between 6 and 12 weeks who presented with a fever ≥38°C to the emergency department from January 2016 to December 2018. Febrile infants who were vaccinated within 72 h prior to their emergency department presentation were matched to those who had not received their vaccines in the previous 72 h. Definite serious bacterial infection was diagnosed based on culture results.

RESULTS

A total of 198 infants (age: 9 ± 1.84 weeks, male: 119 (60.1%)) were enrolled in this study. Overall, 60 of 138 (30.3%) had received their vaccines within the previous 72 h. The prevalence of bacterial infection in RV infants was 5% compared to 15.2% in non-RV infants (P = 0.056). Interestingly, all vaccinated infants who had proven bacterial infection presented to the emergency department with fever within 24 h of vaccination, and all bacterial infections in that group were urinary tract infections.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of bacterial infection among non-RV febrile infants is relatively higher than those RV. However, fever should not be attributed only to the vaccinations, and all febrile RV infants should be carefully evaluated, and at least urine testing should be performed regardless of the time of vaccination.

Performance of the Modified Boston and Philadelphia Criteria for Invasive Bacterial Infections

BACKGROUND

The ability of the decades-old Boston and Philadelphia criteria to accurately identify infants at low risk for serious bacterial infections has not been recently reevaluated.

METHODS

We assembled a multicenter cohort of infants 29 to 60 days of age who had cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and blood cultures obtained. We report the performance of the modified Boston criteria (peripheral white blood cell count [WBC] ≥20 000 cells per mm³, CSF WBC ≥10 cells per mm³, and urinalysis with >10 WBC per high-power field or positive urine dip result) and modified Philadelphia criteria (peripheral WBC ≥15 000 cells per mm³, CSF WBC ≥8 cells per mm³, positive CSF Gram-stain result, and urinalysis with >10 WBC per high-power field or positive urine dip result) for the identification of invasive bacterial infections (IBIs). We defined IBI as bacterial meningitis (growth of pathogenic bacteria from CSF culture) or bacteremia (growth from blood culture).

RESULTS

We applied the modified Boston criteria to 8344 infants and the modified Philadelphia criteria to 8131 infants. The modified Boston criteria identified 133 of the 212 infants with IBI (sensitivity 62.7% [95% confidence interval (CI) 55.9% to 69.3%] and specificity 59.2% [95% CI 58.1% to 60.2%]), and the modified Philadelphia criteria identified 157 of the 219 infants with IBI (sensitivity 71.7% [95% CI 65.2% to 77.6%] and specificity 46.1% [95% CI 45.0% to 47.2%]). The modified Boston and Philadelphia criteria misclassified 17 of 53 (32.1%) and 13 of 56 (23.3%) infants with bacterial meningitis, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The modified Boston and Philadelphia criteria misclassified a substantial number of infants 29 to 60 days old with IBI, including those with bacterial meningitis.

Application of the Bacterial Meningitis Score for Infants Aged 0 to 60 Days

In 4292 infants aged ≤60 days with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pleocytosis, the bacterial meningitis score had excellent sensitivity (121 of 121 [100.0%] [95% confidence interval, 96.5%-100.0%]) but low specificity (66 of 4171 [1.6%] [95% confidence interval, 1.3%-2.0%]) and therefore should not be applied clinically to infants in this age group.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Profiles of Infants ≤60 Days of Age With Bacterial Meningitis

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to describe the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) profiles of infants ≤60 days old with bacterial meningitis and the characteristics of infants with bacterial meningitis who did not have CSF abnormalities.

METHODS

We included infants ≤60 days old with culture-positive bacterial meningitis who were evaluated in the emergency departments of 11 children's hospitals between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2016. From medical records, we abstracted clinical and laboratory data. For infants with traumatic lumbar punctures (CSF red blood cell count of ≥10 000 cells per mm³), we used a red blood cell count/white blood cell (WBC) count correction factor of 1000:1 to determine the corrected CSF WBC count. We calculated the sensitivity for bacterial meningitis of a CSF Gram-stain and corrected CSF pleocytosis (≥16 WBCs per mm³ for infants ≤28 days old and ≥10 WBCs per mm³ for infants 29-60 days old).

RESULTS

Among 66 infants with bacterial meningitis, the sensitivity of a CSF Gram-stain was 71.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 59.2-82.4), and the sensitivity of corrected CSF pleocytosis was 80.3% (95% CI: 68.7-89.1). The sensitivity of combining positive Gram-stain results with corrected CSF pleocytosis was 86.4% (95% CI: 75.7-93.6). Of 9 infants with meningitis who had a negative Gram-stain result and no corrected CSF pleocytosis, 8 (88.9%) had either an abnormal peripheral WBC count (>15 000 or <5000 cells per μL) or bandemia >10%.

CONCLUSIONS

Most infants ≤60 days old with bacterial meningitis have CSF pleocytosis or a positive Gram-stain result. Infants with no CSF pleocytosis and a negative Gram-stain result are unlikely to have bacterial meningitis in the absence of other laboratory abnormalities.

Accuracy of Using a Point-of-Care Glucometer for Cerebrospinal Fluid Glucose Screening in Resource-Limited Countries

OBJECTIVES

To explore the accuracy of using a point-of-care (POC) glucometer for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glucose screening.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted. A glucose analysis of CSF samples collected from infants <90 days with suspected meningitis was paired between tests by using a POC glucometer (POC-CSF glucose) and a laboratory glucose analysis (laboratory-CSF glucose). Accuracy and limits of agreement were compared, as well as the glucometer performance to detect a laboratory-CSF glucose level <45 and 60 mg/dL.

RESULTS

Seventy-three CSF samples were analyzed. Subjects' mean gestational age was 32.2 (SD 4.0) weeks, the mean weight was 1947.7 (SD 814.5) g, and the median age was 8 (interquartile range: 2 to 19.5) days. POC-CSF glucose levels ranged from 26 to 126 mg/dL. The mean (±1.96 SD) difference between POC-CSF and laboratory-CSF glucose levels was -1.6 (interquartile range: -12.6 to 9.4) mg/dL. A POC-CSF glucose level <45 mg/dL has a sensitivity and negative predictive value (NPV) to detect a laboratory-CSF glucose level <45 mg/dL of 82% and 94%, respectively. For a laboratory-CSF glucose level <60 mg/dL, a POC glucose level <60 mg/dL provides a sensitivity and NPV of 96% and 90%, respectively, whereas sensitivity and NPV reach 100% at a POC glucose level <70 mg/dL.

CONCLUSIONS

A POC glucometer for CSF glucose can detect a potential abnormal glucose level with an appropriate cutoff level. This may facilitate rapid decisions for empirical antibiotics in suspected meningitis, pending laboratory results in limited-resource settings, but requires robust validation in future studies before implementation.

Risk of Meningitis in Infants Aged 29 to 90 Days with Urinary Tract Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

OBJECTIVE

To determine the risk of bacterial meningitis in infants aged 29-90 days with evidence of urinary tract infection (UTI).

METHODS

PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched for studies reporting rates of meningitis in infants aged 29-90 days with abnormal urinalysis or urine culture. Observational studies in infants with evidence of UTI who underwent lumbar puncture (LP) reporting age-specific event rates of bacterial meningitis and sterile cerebrospinal fluid pleocytosis were included. Prevalence estimates for bacterial meningitis in infants with UTI were pooled in a random effects meta-analysis.

RESULTS

Three prospective and 17 retrospective cohort studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of concomitant bacterial meningitis in infants with UTI was 0.25% (95% CI, 0.09%-0.70%). Rates of sterile pleocytosis ranged from 0% to 29%. Variation in study methods precluded calculation of a pooled estimate for sterile pleocytosis. In most studies, the decision to perform a LP was up to the provider, introducing selection bias into the prevalence estimate.

CONCLUSIONS

The risk of bacterial meningitis in infants aged 29-90 days with evidence of UTI is low. A selective approach to LP in infants identified as low risk for meningitis by other clinical criteria may be indicated.

Etiology and Clinical Features of Full-Term Neonatal Bacterial Meningitis: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study

Objective: Neonatal bacterial meningitis is a severe infectious disease with a high risk of neurodevelopmental sequelae. The causative pathogens may be related to specific clinical features of the disease. Therefore, this study aimed at determining the pathogen-specific and clinical features of bacterial meningitis in full-term neonates. Methods: We enrolled neonates from the Shanghai Neonate Meningitis Cohort (2005-2017), which is a multicenter retrospective cohort that recruits almost all full-term neonates in Shanghai who underwent lumbar puncture. Patient history and clinical examination results were extracted from the computer-documented information systems of four hospitals. The trends of pathogen distribution were analyzed and differences in the clinical manifestations, treatment, and clinical outcomes at discharge were compared according to the causative pathogen. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the pathogen-specific risk of neurological complications. Results: In total, 518 cases of neonatal meningitis, including 189 proven cases, were included. Group B Streptococcus (GBS) and Escherichia coli (E. coli) were the leading pathogens in proven cases of early-onset and late-onset neonatal meningitis, respectively. The proportion of early-onset and late-onset GBS and late-onset E. coli meningitis cases increased gradually. GBS meningitis had the highest risk of neurological complications, whereas the overall incidence of hydrocephalus and brain abscess in E. coli was higher than that in GBS. Conclusions: Rates of neonatal GBS and E. coli meningitis were high in 2005-2017 in Shanghai, and the risk of neurological complications was also high. Therefore, active prevention, rational use of antibiotics, and continuous monitoring of GBS and E. coli in neonates should be initiated in Shanghai.

Accuracy of Herpes Simplex Virus Polymerase Chain Reaction Testing of the Blood for Central Nervous System Herpes Simplex Virus Infections in Infants

There were 1038 infants with herpes simplex virus polymerase chain reaction testing performed of blood and cerebrospinal fluid specimens. There were 21 (2.0%) with a positive cerebrospinal fluid PCR, of whom 16 also had a positive blood PCR (sensitivity 76%; 95% CI, 53%-92%). Blood PCR cannot exclude herpes simplex virus central nervous system infection.

The Diagnostic Dilemma of Traumatic Lumbar Puncture: Current Standing of Cerebrospinal Fluid Leukocyte Corrections and Our Experience With Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers

OBJECTIVE

To assess the diagnostic efficiency of cerebrospinal fluid markers of procalcitonin, lactate, and cerebrospinal fluid/serum lactate ratio for detecting bacterial meningitis during traumatic lumbar puncture, and to compare these markers with routinely used uncorrected and corrected leukocyte measurements.

METHODS

Infants aged ≤90 days with traumatic lumbar puncture were prospectively studied. The diagnostic characteristics of cerebrospinal fluid assays of uncorrected and corrected leukocyte count, procalcitonin, lactate, and lactate ratio were described and compared.

RESULTS

Considering the area under the curve (95% CI) analysis and standard cutoff values, the lactate-ratio (0.985 [0.964-0.989] at cutoff 1.2) had the best test indexes for identifying meningitis, followed by lactate (0.964 [0.945-0.984] at cutoff 2.2 mmol/L) and procalcitonin (0.939 [0.891-0.986] at cutoff 0.33 ng/mL) measurement, whereas the corrected total leukocyte count assay (0.906 [0.850-0.962] at cutoff 350 cells/mm³) had diagnostic properties moderately superior to uncorrected total leukocyte count measurement (0.870 [0.798-0.943] at cutoff 430 cells/mm³).

CONCLUSION

Cerebrospinal fluid levels of procalcitonin, lactate, and lactate-ratio are reliable markers to diagnose bacterial meningitis in blood-contaminated cerebrospinal fluid.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Reference Values for Young Infants Undergoing Lumbar Puncture

OBJECTIVES

To determine age-specific reference values and quantify age-related changes for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white blood cell (WBC) counts and protein and glucose concentrations in infants ≤60 days of age.

METHODS

This multicenter, cross-sectional study included infants ≤60 days old with CSF cultures and complete CSF profiles obtained within 24 hours of presentation. Those with conditions suspected or known to cause abnormal CSF parameters (eg, meningitis) and those with a hospital length of stay of >72 hours were excluded. Reference standards were determined for infants ≤28 days of age and 29 to 60 days of age by using the third quartile +1.5 interquartile range for WBC and protein and the first quartile -1.5 interquartile range for glucose. CSF parameter centile curves based on age were calculated by using the LMST method.

RESULTS

A total of 7766 patients were included. CSF WBC counts were higher in infants ≤28 days of age (upper bound: 15 cells/mm³) than in infants 29 to 60 days of age (upper bound: 9 cells/mm³; P < .001). CSF protein concentrations were higher in infants ≤28 days of age (upper bound: 127 mg/dL) than in infants 29 to 60 days of age (upper bound: 99 mg/dL; P < .001). CSF glucose concentrations were lower in infants ≤28 days of age (lower bound: 25 mg/dL) than in infants 29 to 60 days of age (lower bound: 27 mg/dL; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The age-specific CSF WBC count, protein concentration, and glucose concentration reference values identified in this large, multicenter cohort of infants can be used to interpret the results of lumbar puncture in infants ≤60 days of age.

Neuroborreliosis in Swedish Children: A Population-based Study on Incidence and Clinical Characteristics

BACKGROUND

Borrelia burgdorferi is a common cause of bacterial meningitis, but there are very few studies on incidence in Europe. The aim of this study was to report the incidence and symptoms of neuroborreliosis in Swedish children.

METHODS

Medical records of children (< 15 years) treated for neuroborreliosis 2002-2014 were studied retrospectively. The patients were identified in the computerized registers of discharge diagnoses at the Departments of Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases in Gothenburg, Borås, Trollhättan and Halmstad using International Classification of Diseases 10 diagnosis codes G51.0, G01.9 and/or A69.1. Of those, patients with symptoms compatible with neuroborreliosis and a white blood cell count in cerebrospinal fluid ≥ 7 cells/mm with ≥ 80% mononuclear cells were included. Only children living in the city of Gothenburg and 10 surrounding municipalities were included.

RESULTS

Five hundred forty-eight children were included. The median age was 7 (1-14) years. The total incidence for the 13-year-period was 2.8/10,000 and remained unchanged during the period. The incidence was significantly higher in rural (4.0/10,000) than in urban municipalities (2.1/10,000). The most common presenting symptoms were headache (n = 335), fatigue (n = 330) and cranial nerve palsies (n = 329). The median duration of symptoms before admittance was 4.0 days for facial palsy and 14.0 days for other symptoms (P < 0.001). The median white blood cell count in cerebrospinal fluid was 129 (7-1069) cells/mm.

CONCLUSIONS

This study is the largest so far in a pediatric population. The incidence of neuroborreliosis was higher than in previous European reports. This might be explained by increased Borrelia awareness, the distribution of tick population in Sweden, and the possibility that Swedish children more frequently play outdoors.

Correction of Cerebrospinal Fluid Protein in Infants With Traumatic Lumbar Punctures

In our multicenter cohort of infants ≤60 days of age, we identified 2646 infants with a traumatic lumbar puncture, of which 31 (1.2%) had bacterial meningitis. For every 1000 cerebrospinal fluid red blood cells/mm, cerebrospinal (cerebrospinal fluid) protein increased 1.1 mg/dL (95% confidence interval: 1.0-1.2 mg/dL).