Clinical and prognostic categorization of extraintestinal nontyphoidal Salmonella infections in infants and children

Abstract

The study included 172 patients, aged 0-15 years, for whom at least 1 nonfecal, nonurinary specimen was culture-positive for nontyphoidal Salmonella. Ninety-five percent had positive blood cultures. Immunocompromising diseases were found in 19% of 74 infants and 77% of 98 children. Associations between the study factors and outcomes, as localized infection or death, were assessed by logistic regression analysis. Thirty- three patients had localized infections. An adjusted risk factor for development of localized infections was an age of <12 months (P = .003). There were 17 deaths. The case-fatality rates were 43% and 10% for immunocompromised and 5% and 0% for nonimmunocompromised infants and children, respectively. Adjusted risk factors for death were age of <12 months (P = .006), inappropriate antimicrobial therapy (P = .014), meningitis or culture-proven pneumonia due to nontyphoidal Salmonella (P = .004), and immunocompromised status (P < .001). The clinical courses and prognoses for infants and children with extraintestinal infection due to nontyphoidal Salmonella can be categorized into 4 groups according to the characteristics of age (infants vs. children) and host status (immunocompromised vs. nonimmunocompromised).