title: Prevalence of Fusobacterium necrophorum in Children Presenting with Pharyngitis.
abstract: Fusobacterium necrophorum, an obligate anaerobic bacterium, was recently reported to be an important cause of bacterial pharyngitis with a prevalence as high as that of group AStreptococcus(GAS) in adolescents and young adults. Importantly,F. necrophorumis the primary causative agent of the life-threatening Lemierre's syndrome, and screening of pharyngeal samples may be warranted for its early detection and prevention. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalences ofF. necrophorumand groups A and C/G streptococci as agents of bacterial pharyngitis in children. Pharyngeal samples (n= 300) were collected from pediatric patients presenting to the emergency department with signs and symptoms of pharyngitis. Overall, 10 (3.3%), 79 (26.3%), and 4 (1.3%) patients were PCR positive forF. necrophorum, GAS, and group C/G streptococci, respectively. The prevalence ofF. necrophorumwas significantly higher in patients between the ages of 14 and 20 years at 13.5% than in patients aged 14 years and younger (1.9%,P< 0.001). All positive patients presented with signs and symptoms similar to GAS pharyngitis. Our data demonstrated a potential role forF. necrophorumas a pathogen of pharyngitis among young adults, but suggests that the prevalence ofF. necrophorumis low in preadolescent patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Tam T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Van
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|Anaerobe Systems, Morgan Hill, California, USA.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.affiliation: Anaerobe Systems, Morgan Hill, California, USA.
authors.forename: Mike E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Cox
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA jdienbard@chla.usc.edu.|Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dien Bard
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005674:Fusobacterium Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D005675:Fusobacterium necrophorum / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D010612:Pharyngitis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Fusobacterium; children; necrophorum; pediatric; pharyngitis