title: Etiology of invasive bacterial infections in immunocompetent children in Korea (1996-2005): a retrospective multicenter study.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify the major etiological agents responsible for invasive bacterial infections in immunocompetent Korean children. We retrospectively surveyed invasive bacterial infections in immunocompetent children caused by eight major pediatric bacteria, namely Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus pyogenes, Listeria monocytogenes, and Salmonella species that were diagnosed at 18 university hospitals from 1996 to 2005. A total of 768 cases were identified. S. agalactiae (48.1%) and S. aureus (37.2%) were the most common pathogens in infants younger than 3 months. S. agalactiae was a common cause of meningitis (73.0%), bacteremia without localization (34.0%), and arthritis (50%) in this age group. S. pneumoniae (45.3%) and H. influenzae (20.4%) were common in children aged 3 months to 5 yr. S. pneumoniae was a common cause of meningitis (41.6%), bacteremia without localization (40.0%), and bacteremic pneumonia (74.1%) in this age group. S. aureus (50.6%), Salmonella species (16.9%), and S. pneumoniae (16.3%) were common in older children. A significant decline in H. influenzae infections over the last 10 yr was noted. S. agalactiae, S. pneumoniae, and S. aureus are important pathogens responsible for invasive bacterial infections in Korean children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Joon-Ho
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hye Kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Kyung-Hyo
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Chang Hwi
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong Soo
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Kwang Nam
authors.initials: KN
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sung-Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Sung Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Jae Kyun
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Hur
authors.forename: Jin Han
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Jong Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Yun-Kyung
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Young Jin
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Eun Hee
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Soo-Eun
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Young Youn
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jung Soo
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Hwang Min
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eun Hwa
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Hoan Jong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001419:Bacteria / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000401:mortality; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012189:Retrospective Studies