Rat bite fever (RBF), a systemic infection of Streptobacillus moniliformis or Spirillum minus characterized by fever, arthralgias and petechial-purpuric rash on the extremities, carries a mortality rate of 7% to 10% if untreated. In Canada, one adult and two paediatric cases of RBF have been reported since 2000. In recent years, pet rats have become quite popular among children, placing them at an increased risk for RBF. Thus, paediatricians need to be more wary of the potential for RBF in their patients. In the present report, a culture-confirmed case of RBF and two additional cases of suspected infection are described.

We evaluated the pharmacokinetic profile of intravenous ganciclovir and oral valganciclovir in transplant children. Median AUC0-24 concentrations obtained after intravenous and oral formulations were 22.9 µg•h/mL (range, 17-65.2) and 34.55 µg•h/mL (range, 20.8-84.2), respectively. After normalization on a 20 mg/kg/d valganciclovir dosage, the median AUC0-24 concentration was 37.6 µg•h/mL (range, 23.6-68).

The risk of infection in pediatric organ transplant recipients is determined by several factors, including age, the types of organ transplanted and the immunosuppressive treatment which has dramatically changed over the past 10 yr. Little information has been reported regarding the infectious complications related to the current immunosuppressive protocols used in these children. This paper reviews (i) the immunosuppressive agents, focusing on their mechanisms of action and on the new regimens, (ii) the infections related to excessive immunosuppression and also anti-infectious properties or infectious adverse reactions associated with specific immunosuppressive agents. With the new immunosuppressive protocols, the advances in immunologic monitoring, microbiological diagnosis, anti-infectious prophylactic and preemptive treatments, strategies to minimize the risk of infection related to the immunosuppressive therapy are proposed.