No abstract available.
Kingella* ; Sepsis*

Direct plating of synovial fluid (SF) on agar-based media often fails to identify pathogens in septic arthritis (SA). We developed a PCR assay for the simultaneous detection of Kingella kingae and Staphylococcus aureus from SF to evaluate molecular detection in SF and to estimate the incidence of K. kingae in SA in North America. The assay was based on detection of the cpn60 gene of K. kingae and the spa gene of S. aureus in multiplex real-time PCR. K. kingae was identified in 50% of patients between 0 and 5 yr of age (n=6) but not in any patients >18 yr old (n=105). Direct plating of SF on agar-based media failed to detect K. kingae in all samples. The PCR assay was inferior to the culture-based method for S. aureus, detecting only 50% of culture-positive cases. Our findings suggest that K. kingae is a common pathogen in pediatric SA in North America, in agreement with previous reports from Europe. PCR-based assays for the detection of K. kingae may be considered in children with SA, especially in those with a high degree of clinical suspicion.
Adult ; Arthritis, Infectious/diagnosis/*microbiology ; Bacterial Proteins/genetics ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; DNA, Bacterial/*analysis/metabolism ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Kingella kingae/*genetics/isolation & purification ; *Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Staphylococcus aureus/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Synovial Fluid/*microbiology

The HACEK group of bacteria (Haemophilus parainfluenzae, H. aphrophilus, H. paraphrophilus, Actinobacilus actinomycetemcomitans, Cardiobacterium hominis, Eikenella corodens, and Kingella kingae) are the normal flora of the upper respiratory tract and oropharynx. The organisms infect abnormal cardiac valves, causing subacute native endocarditis or prosthetic valve endocarditis more than one year after valve surgery. Haemophilus species are responsible for only 0.5~1% of all infective endocarditis cases. Embolization occurs in 60% and the mortality rate ranges from 16~45% of cases of infective endocarditis caused by H. parainfluenzae. We experienced a case of infective endocarditis due to H. parainfluenzae in a 37-year-old male admitted with high fever, chills, nausea & vomiting, chest discomfort, and blurred vision. The organism was isolated from a blood culture and was identified as H. parainfluenzae by factor V requirement, negativity at urea, positivity at ornithine decarboxylase, and acid production from glucose and maltose. The patient was treated with antibiotics and symptoms and signs were improved
Adult ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Cardiobacterium ; Chills ; Eikenella ; Endocarditis ; Factor V ; Fever ; Glucose ; Haemophilus ; Haemophilus parainfluenzae ; Heart Valves ; Humans ; Kingella ; Male ; Maltose ; Nausea ; Ornithine Decarboxylase ; Oropharynx ; Paramyxoviridae Infections ; Respiratory System ; Thorax ; Urea ; Vision, Ocular ; Vomiting