Rapid influenza test in young febrile infants for the identification of low-risk patients.
We included 381 febrile infants less than 3 months with a blood culture and a rapid influenza test done as part of study of fever. The prevalence of serious bacterial infections was significantly lower in patients in the positive rapid influenza test (RIT) group (3/113; 2.65%; 95% CI: 0-5.6) than in patients in the negative RIT group (47/268; 17.5%; 95% CI: 13-22.0). No patient with a positive RIT had a positive blood culture (vs. 8 in the negative RIT group, 2.98%, 95% CI: 0.9-5.0) The cerebrospinal fluid culture was positive in 5; all of them had a negative RIT. The use of RIT in the Emergency Department on previously well-appearing febrile young infants without a known source during influenza seasons can help to identify infants with a lower risk of developing serious bacterial infections. Routine blood culture may be no longer necessary in infants with a positive RIT.
Mintegi
Santiago
S
Paediatric Emergency Department, Hospital Cruces, Barakaldo, Basque Country, Spain. santiago.mintegi@osakidetza.net
Garcia-Garcia
Juan José
JJ
Benito
Javier
J
Carrasco-Colom
Jaume
J
Gomez
Borja
B
Hernández-Bou
Susanna
S
Astobiza
Eider
E
Luaces-Cubells
Carles
C
D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000175:diagnosis; D001769:Blood / Q000382:microbiology; D002555:Cerebrospinal Fluid / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005335:Fever of Unknown Origin / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007251:Influenza, Human / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male; D025202:Molecular Diagnostic Techniques / Q000379:methods*