Purulent pericarditis is a rare occurrence in the era of modern antibiotics. It is most often caused by organisms such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Viridans streptococci, Haemophilus influenzae and anaerobic bacteria with Streptococcus pyogenes (S.pyogenes) being a possible, though very uncommon etiology. This case represents an occurrence of S. pyogenes pericarditis in an apparently healthy female with no known immunocompromising condition. A 37-year-old female, married, real estate agent with no comorbidities came in for chest pain radiating to the upper back, relieved with leaning forward. Cardiac biomarker was normal, ECG demonstrated diffuse ST-segment elevation and PR segment depression, while imaging showed lobar pneumonia. Blood tests showed leukocytosis with neutrophilic predominance and workup for immunocompromised state was negative. The 2D echo showed large pericardial effusion with tamponade physiology. An urgent pericardiocentesis was done. Cultures grew Streptococcus pyogenes confirming the diagnosis of acute purulent pericarditis. Daily drainage of pericardial effusion, colchicine, ibuprofen was initiated together with antibiotics and the patient had resolution of pericardial effusion. Acute pyogenic pericarditis with cardiac tamponade is a rare but serious condition that requires prompt recognition and intervention. Early diagnosis, through a combination of clinical suspicion, ECG and echocardiography is crucial for initiating timely treatment.

Human ; Female ; Adult: 25-44 Yrs Old ; Viridans Streptococci ; Streptococcus Pyogenes ; Streptococcus Pneumoniae ; Staphylococcus Aureus ; Streptococcal Infections ; Electrocardiography ; Echocardiography ; Early Diagnosis

Humans ; Streptococcal Infections/microbiology* ; Streptococcus pyogenes/isolation & purification* ; Child ; China ; Consensus

OBJECTIVE: To explore whether streptococcal infection may aggravate renal damage in children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis and its possible mechanism. METHODS: In the study, 485 children diagnosed with Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis from July 2015 to December 2019 were selected to analyze their clinical data retrospectively. According to the diagnosis of discharge, whether it was combined with streptococcal infection, the children were divided into two groups. The experimental group contained 91 children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis combined with streptococcal infection, and there were 394 children who were not infected with Streptococcus in the control group. Suitable test items were preliminarily selected through artificial neural network, and then data analysis was performed through SPSS 23.0. RESULTS: The children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis infected with streptococcus had statistically significant differences compared with the uninfected children in the test items of urine protein, liver and kidney function, immunoglobulin and complement. Anti-streptolysin O had mild correlation with IgG (Spearman r=-0.328), fibrin degradation products (Spearman r=-0.207), total protein (Spearman r=-0.202) and globulin (Spearman r=-0.223). Compared with the children who were not infected with streptococcus, the differences of the average levels of age (P=0.001), IgG (P < 0.001), fibrin degradation products (P=0.019), total protein (P < 0.001), globulin (P < 0.001), IgA (P < 0.001), IgM (P=0.003), complement 3 (P=0.016), complement 4 (P=0.002), albumin/globulin ratio (P=0.007), alkaline phosphatase (P=0.036), and estimated glomerular filtration rate (P=0.039) in the infected children were statistically significant. In order to explore the risk factors of kidney damage in the children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis, Logistic regression was performed using anti-streptolysin O, age, immunoglobulin and complement as independent variables, urine protein detection parameters, liver and kidney functions as dependent variables. Age ≤10 years old and hypocomplementemia might be risk factors for aggravating renal damage in the children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis. CONCLUSION Streptococcal infections may aggravate renal damage in children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis, in which hypocomplementemia, inflammation, fibrinolysis and disorders of coagulation perhaps play an important role. Children with streptococcal infection should be treated with anti-infective treatment in time and necessarily, and followed up after discharge regularly.
Humans ; IgA Vasculitis/complications* ; Streptococcal Infections/complications* ; Child ; Male ; Female ; Nephritis/microbiology* ; Retrospective Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Kidney/pathology* ; Adolescent

At the end of 2022, the World Health Organization reported an increase in group A Streptococcus (GAS) infections, such as scarlet fever, in multiple countries. The outbreak primarily affected children under 10 years old, and the number of deaths was higher than anticipated, causing international concern. This paper reviews the current state of the GAS disease outbreak, its causes, and response measures. The authors aim to draw attention from clinical workers in China and increase their awareness and vigilance regarding this epidemic. Healthcare workers should be aware of the potential epidemiological changes in infectious diseases that may arise after the optimization of control measures for coronavirus disease 2019 to ensure children's health.
Child ; Humans ; Streptococcus pyogenes ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Streptococcal Infections/epidemiology* ; Scarlet Fever/epidemiology* ; Epidemics ; Disease Outbreaks

Currently, the main strategy for preventing neonatal group B Streptococcus (GBS) infection is prenatal screening combined with intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis, which has effectively reduced the incidence of neonatal GBS early-onset disease. However, the burden of GBS infection is still significant. The intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis strategy has limitations such as inducing antibiotic resistance and inability to effectively prevent GBS late-onset disease. It is crucial to develop and evaluate other prevention strategies, while paying close attention to assessing penicillin allergy in pregnant women and how to prevent GBS infection in neonates with negative maternal GBS screening. In recent years, there has been some progress in GBS vaccines and related immunological research, and the use of specific vaccines is expected to significantly reduce GBS infection in neonates.
Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use* ; Antibiotic Prophylaxis ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical/prevention & control* ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/epidemiology* ; Streptococcal Infections/drug therapy* ; Streptococcus agalactiae

Humans ; Young Adult ; Fusobacterium necrophorum ; Pharyngitis/microbiology* ; Streptococcal Infections ; Sepsis/diagnosis*

Animals ; Genomics ; Humans ; Serogroup ; Streptococcal Infections ; Streptococcus suis/isolation & purification* ; Swine ; Swine Diseases

Biofilms ; Humans ; Multilocus Sequence Typing ; Serogroup ; Streptococcal Infections ; Streptococcus agalactiae/genetics* ; Virulence

OBJECTIVES: To study the effect of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) of group B streptococcus (GBS) infection on the incidence and bacteriological profile of early-onset neonatal sepsis (EONS). METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 494 pregnant women with positive GBS screening results and 526 neonates born by these women. According to whether the pregnant woman received IAP, the neonates were divided into two groups: IAP (n=304) and control (n=222). The two groups were compared in terms of clinical indices, incidence rate of EONS, and distribution of pathogenic bacteria in blood culture. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the IAP group had a significantly lower proportion of children with abnormal clinical manifestations (P<0.001) and a significantly lower incidence rate of EONS (P=0.022). In the IAP group, Escherichia coli (2.3%) was the most common type of pathogenic bacteria in blood culture of the neonates with EONS, while GBS (3.2%) was the most common type of pathogenic bacteria in the control group. The IAP group had a significantly higher detection rate of ampicillin-resistant Escherichia coli than the control group (P=0.029). CONCLUSIONS Although IAP can significantly reduce the incidence rate of EONS in neonates born to pregnant women with positive GBS screening results, the infection rate of ampicillin-resistant Escherichia coli may increase after IAP treatment. Therefore, it is needed to enhance the monitoring of blood culture results of neonates with EONS and timely adjust treatment plan according to drug susceptibility test results.
Anti-Bacterial Agents/therapeutic use* ; Antibiotic Prophylaxis ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical/prevention & control* ; Neonatal Sepsis/prevention & control* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious ; Retrospective Studies ; Streptococcal Infections/prevention & control* ; Streptococcus agalactiae

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of group B (GBS) colonization in late pregnancy with perinatal outcome. METHODS: Pregnant women who underwent antenatal check-up at General Hospital of PLA Eastern Theater Command and the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University from January 2016 to December 2018 were enrolled in the study. The vaginal and rectal swab samples were collected for GBS culture at 35-37 weeks of pregnancy. The perinatal outcomes of positive and negative GBS groups were compared. The GBS-positive group samples were tested for antibiotic susceptibility. In GBS positive group the maternal and child perinatal outcomes were compared between pregnant women with antibiotics treatment and those without antibiotics. RESULTS: A total of 13 000 pregnant women were enrolled, and the overall colonization rate of GBS was 3.65%(475/13 000). The colonization rate of GBS in the vagina was 2.33%(303/13 000), and the colonization rate in the rectum was 1.75%(227/13 000). Through the collection and detection of rectal specimens, the positive rate of GBS increased by 56.77%(172/303). The monthly colonization rate of GBS showed significant fluctuations with the highest in March and October (all < 0.05). The sensitivity of 475 GBS-positive specimens to ceftriaxone, vancomycin and linezolid were 100%, and the sensitivity to ampicillin and penicillin were 97.26%and 93.47%, respectively. The resistance rates of the strains to levofloxacin, clindamycin, erythromycin and tetracycline were 30.11%, 48.00%, 52.21%and 88.63%. The incidence of premature rupture of membranes, postpartum hemorrhage, puerperal infection, neonatal pneumonia and sepsis in GBS positive group were significantly higher than those in GBS negative group (all < 0.01). In pregnant women with positive GBS, the incidence of puerperal infection, neonatal infection and admission to the NICU in the antibiotic group were significantly lower than those in the non-antibiotic group ( < 0.05 or < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The total colonization rate of GBS is low. The detection of GBS can be significantly improved by supplementing rectal examination. Ceftriaxone, ampicillin and penicillin are currently the drugs of choice for the prevention and treatment of GBS-related diseases. GBS infection can increase the incidence of maternal and child complications. The use of antibiotics during labor can improve the outcome of mothers and infants.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Streptococcal Infections ; Streptococcus agalactiae ; Vagina