Tuberculosis in HIV coinfected pregnant women remains a significant threat to the health of both mothers and infants. Improving tuberculosis prevention and early diagnosis among pregnant women is critical.
Extensively drug-resistant (XDR) tuberculosis is becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide, but little is known about XDR tuberculosis in young children. In this Grand Round we describe a 2-year-old child from the USA who developed pneumonia after a 3 month visit to India. Symptoms resolved with empirical first-line tuberculosis treatment; however, a XDR strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis grew in culture. In the absence of clinical or microbiological markers, low-radiation exposure pulmonary CT imaging was used to monitor treatment response, and guide an individualised drug regimen. Management was complicated by delays in diagnosis, uncertainties about drug selection, and a scarcity of child-friendly formulations. Treatment has been successful so far, and the child is in remission. This report of XDR tuberculosis in a young child in the USA highlights the risks of acquiring drug-resistant tuberculosis overseas, and the unique challenges in management of tuberculosis in this susceptible population.
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) causes significant morbidity and mortality in congenitally-infected children and immunocompromised hosts. Among healthy individuals, CMV is generally thought to cause mild, self-limited illness. CMV enterocolitis, in particular, is rarely considered among immunocompetent children presenting with diarrhea. We describe two cases of invasive CMV colitis in immunocompetent infants presenting with diarrhea, and review the literature to date on this topic. Although invasive CMV enterocolitis has been sporadically reported among immunocompetent children, it remains an under-recognized cause of infectious diarrhea in this population, and indications for antiviral therapy are lacking. We propose that CMV should be included in the differential diagnosis of intractable diarrhea in immunocompetent children.
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