In young children (<2 years) with AOM, this study suggests that PCV13 has an impact on overall PNP carriage, as well as on serotypes 19A, 7F, and 6C.

We aimed to assess the independent effect of clinical spectrum, bacterial inoculum size and physician characteristics on the sensitivity of a rapid antigen detection test (RADT) for group A streptococcus (GAS) in children. Double throat swabs were collected from 1,482 children with pharyngitis and 294 asymptomatic children in a French prospective, office-based, multicenter (n = 17) study, from October 2009 to May 2011. Patient- and physician-level factors potentially affecting RADT sensitivity were studied by univariate and multivariate multilevel analysis, with laboratory throat culture as the reference test. In children with pharyngitis and asymptomatic children, the prevalence of GAS was 38 % (95 % confidence interval 36-41 %) and 11 % (7-14 %), respectively. Overall, RADT sensitivity was 87 % (84-90 %). On stratified and multivariate multilevel analysis, RADT sensitivity was higher for children with pharyngitis than asymptomatic children (89 % vs. 41 %), children <9 than ≥ 9 years old (88 % vs. 79 %) and those with heavy than light inoculum (94 % vs. 53 %). RADT sensitivity was influenced by the physician performing the test (range 56-96 %, p = 0.01) and was higher for physicians with hospital-based clinical activity in addition to office-based practice (adjusted odds ratio 3.4 [95 % confidence interval 1.9-6.3], p < 0.001); inter-physician variations in RADT sensitivity were largely explained by this variable (proportional change in variance >99 %). The sensitivity of the RADT is independently affected by patient- and physician-level factors. Physicians who base their diagnosis of GAS pharyngitis on the results of a RADT alone should consider diagnostic accuracy monitoring and adequate training when needed.

In children unable to perform reliable spirometry, the interrupter resistance (R(int) ) technique for assessing respiratory resistance is easy to perform. However, few data are available on the possibility to use R(int) as a surrogate for spirometry. We aimed at comparing R(int) and spirometry at baseline and after bronchodilator administration in a large population of asthmatic children. We collected retrospectively R(int) and spirometry results measured in 695 children [median age 7.8 (range 4.8-13.9) years] referred to our lab for routine assessment of asthma disease. Correlations between R(int) and spirometry were studied using data expressed as z-scores. Receiver operator characteristic curves for the baseline R(int) value (z-score) and the bronchodilator effect (percentage predicted value and z-score) were generated to assess diagnostic performance. At baseline, the relationship between raw values of R(int) and FEV(1) was not linear. Despite a highly significant inverse correlation between R(int) and all of the spirometry indices (FEV(1) , FVC, FEV(1) /FVC, FEF(25-75%) ; P < 0.0001), R(int) could detect baseline obstruction (FEV(1) z-score ≤ -2) with only 42% sensitivity and 95% specificity. Post-bronchodilator changes in R(int) and FEV(1) were inversely correlated (rhô = -0.50, P < 0.0001), and R(int) (≥35% predicted value decrease) detected FEV(1) reversibility (>12% baseline increase) with 70% sensitivity and 69% specificity (AUC = 0.79). R(int) measurements fitted a one-compartment model that explained the relationship between flows and airway resistance. We found that R(int) had poor sensitivity to detect baseline obstruction, but fairly good sensitivity and specificity to detect reversibility. However, in order to implement asthma guidelines for children unable to produce reliable spirometry, bronchodilator response measured by R(int) should be systematically studied and further assessed in conjunction with clinical outcomes.

We investigated nasopharyngeal carriage of Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus among infants and young children with acute otitis media in a country where use of 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) has been progressively implemented. Among 1783 children enrolled, 60.8% carried S. pneumoniae, and 9% carried S. aureus. Among S. pneumoniae carriers, the rate of S. aureus carriage was 8.4%, compared with 9.9% among S. pneumoniae noncarriers. The rate of S. pneumoniae carriage in the PCV7-vaccinated population was lower (59.8%) than that observed in the nonvaccinated population (66.2%; P<.04). In contrast, in young children (age, <2 years) with acute otitis media, our study suggests that the S. aureus carriage rate is not affected by PCV7 immunization (9.0% in vaccinated children vs. 8.7% in nonvaccinated children). Furthermore, in children aged >1 year, the booster dose induces a sharp reduction in the carriage of vaccine serotypes of S. pneumoniae, without any change in S. aureus carriage.

From 2009 to 2014, we prospectively enrolled 132 children with perianal infections. The presentation of painful defecation, anal fissures, and macroscopic blood in stools was highly suggestive of group A streptococcal perianal infection (probability 83.3%). We found a high sensitivity of a group A streptococcal rapid diagnostic testing (98%) but relatively low specificity (72.8%).

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Forced expiratory flow (FEF) at low lung volumes are supposed to be better at detecting lung-function impairment in asthmatic children than a forced volume. The aim of this study was to examine whether FEF results could modify the interpretation of baseline and post-bronchodilator spirometry in asthmatic schoolchildren in whom forced expiratory volumes are within the normal range.Spirometry, with post-bronchodilator vital capacity within 10% of that of baseline in healthy and asthmatic children, was recorded prospectively. We defined abnormal baseline values expressed as z-scores <-1.645, forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) reversibility as a baseline increase >12%, FEF reversibility as an increase larger than the 2.5th percentile of post-bronchodilator changes in healthy children.Among 66 healthy and 50 asthmatic schoolchildren, only two (1.7%) children with normal vital capacity and no airways obstruction had abnormal baseline forced expiratory flow at 25-75% of forced vital capacity (FEF25-75%). After bronchodilation, among the 45 asthmatic children without FEV1 reversibility, 5 (11.1%) had an FEF25-75% increase that exceeded the reference interval.Isolated abnormal baseline values or significant post-bronchodilator changes in FEF are rare situations in asthmatic schoolchildren with good spirometry quality. @ERSpublications Forced expiratory flows don't add useful information over forced expiratory volumes and their ratio in schoolchildren

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