Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases RSS feed: Current Issue. http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yspid/?rss=yesElsevier Inc.en © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases1045-1870174October 2006 © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. healthpermissions@elsevier.comhttp://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yspid/article/PIIS1045187006000628/abstract?rss=yes An ancient proverb dating back to the time of Chaucer (circa 1374) says that “there is an end to everything, to good things as well,” a truism that first was attested in the United States in the 1680s. With this issue, Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases (SPID) comes to an end, one of the “good things” to which the proverb refers.A Final Note…Ralph D. Feigin10.1053/j.spid.2006.08.001Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases 17, 4 (2006)2006-10-01Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases2006-10-01174S1045-1870(06)X0027-4181181http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yspid/article/PIIS1045187006000719/abstract?rss=yes A major challenge for many years has been posed by rotavirus infections. Rotaviruses are the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in infants and young children, who also have the highest rates of rotavirus disease. Disease from rotavirus results in the hospitalization of approximately 55,000 children each year in the United States and the deaths of more than 600,000 children annually worldwide. Although the usual form of transmission is the fecal-oral route, because the virus is stable in the environment, transmission can occur through ingestion of contaminated water or food and contact with contaminated surfaces. The disease has a winter season pattern in the United States and other countries with temperate climates. Vaccines have been shown to be the best means of preventing acquisition of rotavirus.EditorialRalph D. Feigin10.1053/j.spid.2006.09.001Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases 17, 4 (2006)2006-10-01Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases2006-10-01174S1045-1870(06)X0027-4182184http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yspid/article/PIIS104518700600063X/abstract?rss=yes Most physicians would agree that vaccination is one of the most effective public health interventions of modern times. The elimination of smallpox; the remarkable reduction in the burden of childhood disease with routine administration of mumps, measles, rubella, pertussis, and polio vaccines; and the enormous decline in Hemophilus influenzae type b and pneumococcal disease with the conjugate vaccines are impressive. However, we are also in the midst of great public concern over vaccine safety, with increasing numbers of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children. With the virtual elimination of many childhood diseases, parents fear that adverse events after vaccination are more common than are the risk of contracting disease. Live attenuated vaccines, such as three of those described in this collection of articles, pose particularly challenging safety concerns and necessitate very large clinical studies to insure their safety for routine administration to young children.IntroductionJames E. Crowe, Kathryn M. Edwards10.1053/j.spid.2006.08.002Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases 17, 4 (2006)2006-10-01Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases2006-10-01174S1045-1870(06)X0027-4185186http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yspid/article/PIIS1045187006000641/abstract?rss=yesA 26-day-old male infant presented to an Emergency Department (ED) in September, 2005, with a 1-day history of irritability, labored breathing, and decreased activity. He was a former 2547-g, 34 weeks of gestation premature infant born by spontaneous vaginal delivery to a 27-year-old rubella-nonimmune woman whose pregnancy was complicated by prolonged rupture of membranes, treated with intrapartum intravenous ampicillin. Apgar scores were 8 at 1 minute and 9 at 5 minutes. A sepsis evaluation was performed because the infant had respiratory distress during the first day of life. Ampicillin and gentamicin were administered until bacterial culture results were sterile after 48 hours of incubation; phototherapy also was administered for physiologic jaundice. He was discharged home on day of life 7 and did well until his presenting illness.An Unusual Cause of Sepsis and Meningitis in a NeonateVeronica K. Goytia, Gail J. Demmler, Pia S. Pannaraj, Ruth Ann Luna, James Versalovic10.1053/j.spid.2006.08.003Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases 17, 4 (2006)2006-10-01Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases2006-10-01174S1045-1870(06)X0027-4Case study187187http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yspid/article/PIIS1045187006000677/abstract?rss=yesRotavirus infections are the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in young children worldwide. Recently two new rotavirus vaccines have entered the world market. This review provides a summary of the rationale, development, and evaluation of one of these vaccines, Rotarix*. Rotarix* is a live oral rotavirus vaccine developed from a single protective human strain following multiple passages in tissue culture to attenuate the strain. The vaccine is administered as two oral doses at approximately 2 and 4 months of age. Large safety and efficacy trials have shown the vaccine is safe, not associated with intussusception, and effective against the most common circulating human serotypes. Efficacy against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis and hospitalization have ranged from 85 to 100 percent.Live Attenuated Human Rotavirus Vaccine, Rotarix™David I. Bernstein10.1053/j.spid.2006.08.006Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases 17, 4 (2006)2006-10-01Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases2006-10-01174S1045-1870(06)X0027-4188194http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yspid/article/PIIS1045187006000665/abstract?rss=yesVaccination against rotavirus disease has been a global preventive health priority since rotaviruses were first discovered in the 1970s. The first licensed rotavirus vaccine, RRV-TV, was removed from the market shortly after licensure because of an unexpected serious adverse event, intussusception. A pentavalent rotavirus vaccine, PRV, is the second FDA-licensed rotavirus vaccine and does not signal the risk observed with RRV-TV. The properties and large safety study results of PRV are reviewed here.The Pentavalent Rotavirus Vaccine, RotaTeq™David O. Matson10.1053/j.spid.2006.08.005Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases 17, 4 (2006)2006-10-01Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases2006-10-01174S1045-1870(06)X0027-4195199http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yspid/article/PIIS1045187006000653/abstract?rss=yesThe impact of influenza in the very young appears to be comparable to that in the elderly. Influenza vaccine strategy is changing to reflect that impact. Currently, the broader recommendations include vaccination with trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines (TIVs) for children aged 6 to 59 months. This article reviews TIV safety, immunogenicity, and efficacy in children, current vaccine recommendations, and vaccine administration and dosage.The Use of Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in ChildrenPeter F. Wright10.1053/j.spid.2006.08.004Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases 17, 4 (2006)2006-10-01Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases2006-10-01174S1045-1870(06)X0027-4200205http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yspid/article/PIIS1045187006000689/abstract?rss=yesLive attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) offers a novel approach to influenza vaccination and is approved for healthy individuals 5 to 49 years of age. In placebo-controlled studies in children, LAIV was 73 to 93 percent efficacious, and protection lasted more than 12 months. In head-to-head studies in children, LAIV demonstrated a 35 to 53 percent reduction in influenza attack rates compared with injectable influenza vaccine (TIV) for matched strains. Compared with TIV, LAIV has demonstrated broader serum antibody responses, particularly against mismatched influenza A. The most common adverse events are runny nose and nasal congestion. Increased rates of asthma events were observed in young children. Additional large-scale safety and efficacy studies in young children, including a formal risk-benefit assessment, are ongoing. The results of these analyses will guide potential future use in young children.Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine in ChildrenChristopher S. Ambrose, Robert E. Walker, Edward M. Connor10.1053/j.spid.2006.08.007Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases 17, 4 (2006)2006-10-01Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases2006-10-01174S1045-1870(06)X0027-4206212http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yspid/article/PIIS1045187006000707/abstract?rss=yesIn 1977, a young, respected pediatrician and infectious diseases specialist was called to lead the Department of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and to assume the accompanying position of Physician-in-Chief of Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH), Houston, Texas. The challenge set before him of filling the shoes of the only individual to have held these positions previously, Dr. Russell Blattner, was a daunting one that might have intimidated a less determined physician. Blattner had held these posts for the previous 30 years, and one of the first teaching hospitals for pediatricians had been created under his watch. Instead, the young physician saw an opportunity to affect the health care of children and to make significant strides in research on infectious diseases and other ailments. He accepted the challenge. Today, that same person, Dr. Ralph D. Feigin (), is still at the helm after more than 29 years, has served BCM for 7 years as President and CEO while retaining the position of Chairman of Pediatrics, and has developed the BCM Department of Pediatrics and TCH far beyond even the broadest dreams of those who first saw in him the capabilities needed to lead these institutions into the future. Indeed, in 2003, BCM ranked third among the top 100 federally funded U.S. universities in contributing the greatest number of papers to the field of pediatrics during the previous 5 years. In 2006, TCH was named among the top-five pediatric hospitals in the nation in the U.S. News & World Report’s annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. In addition to being coeditor of two major pediatrics textbooks and Associate Editor of Pediatrics, Dr. Feigin has been Editor-in-Chief of this publication for the past 17 years. With this final issue, it seemed fitting to devote the Biography, unbeknownst to him, to highlighting some of the numerous outstanding achievements that have characterized Dr. Feigin’s career as he has developed the Department of Pediatrics at BCM and served as Physician-in-Chief of TCH.Ralph D. Feigin, MD: Chairman of Pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine, Physician-in-Chief of Texas Children’s Hospital, and Editor-in-Chief of Seminars in Pediatric Infectious DiseasesB. Lee Ligon10.1053/j.spid.2006.08.009Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases 17, 4 (2006)2006-10-01Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases2006-10-01174S1045-1870(06)X0027-4Biography213224http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yspid/article/PIIS1045187006000690/abstract?rss=yesThis neonate’s presentation with fever, lethargy, irritability, and positive blood culture, accompanied by CSF abnormalities that included a polymorphonuclear pleocytosis, hypoglycorrhachia, and elevated protein were consistent with the diagnosis of bacterial sepsis and meningitis.DenouementVeronica K. Goytia, Gail J. Demmler, Pia S. Pannaraj, Ruth Ann Luna, James Versalovic10.1053/j.spid.2006.08.008Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases 17, 4 (2006)2006-10-01Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases2006-10-01174S1045-1870(06)X0027-4Case study225227http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yspid/article/PIIS104518700600077X/abstract?rss=yesAuthor Index10.1053/S1045-1870(06)00077-XSeminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases 17, 4 (2006)2006-10-01Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases2006-10-01174S1045-1870(06)X0027-4228228http://www.journals.elsevierhealth.com/periodicals/yspid/article/PIIS1045187006000781/abstract?rss=yesSubject Index10.1053/S1045-1870(06)00078-1Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases 17, 4 (2006)2006-10-01Seminars in Pediatric Infectious Diseases2006-10-01174S1045-1870(06)X0027-4228233