Arthritis caused by infectious agents can be secondary to direct invasion of the joint space or to immune mechanisms (subsequent to or concomitant to an infection). Septic arthritis refers to a situation when bacteria can be cultured in synovial fluid. Arthritis can complicate for example meningococcemia or infection by Neisseria gonorrhoeae or Haemophilus influenzae. Reactive (postinfectious) arthritides are an important diagnostic category within a pediatric rheumatology practice. Yersinia and, less frequently, Salmonella, play an important role in postdiarrheal disorders. The arthritis that can ensue is usually oligoarticular and occurs 1-2 weeks after the enteric infection. Reiter's syndrome, rare in the pediatric age, is characterized by the triad urethritis-conjunctivitis-arthritis. Postviral arthritides can occur after a variety of viral infections, including Parvovirus B19, rubella, and others (e.g. hepatitis B, Epstein-Barr virus, chickenpox, mumps). Especially in patients with acute arthritis, the presence of preceding infections should always be investigated. Although the majority of postinfectious arthritides are self-limiting in nature and do not require specific treatment, conditions such as Lyme borreliosis and rheumatic fever can be associated with significant morbidity, and sometimes can be even lethal.

A boy aged 10 years was referred to the Paediatric Department of Milan University Hospital, Milan, Italy, with a long history of pain in the lower limbs, alleviated only by exposure to cold. His legs were swollen, with multiple cutaneous ulcers. He had severe painful crises, and was totally incapacitated. After the diagnosis of erythermalgia was made, numerous treatments were tried, but none were successful. After finding growth hormone (GH) deficiency, we started treatment with recombinant GH. He had immediate relief of pain and complete healing of ulcers. We postulate that the healing of the ulcers can be attributed to the GH-promoting effect on dermal connective tissue.

Objective. To compare the safety and efficacy of a short course (5 days) of ceftibuten vs. azithromycin for 3 days for treatment of group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) pharyngitis in children. Methods. A multicenter, open label, prospective, randomized trial in which patients ≥3 to ≤16 years of age with proven GABHS pharyngitis were randomized to receive either once daily ceftibuten for 5 days or azithromycin for 3 days. Patients were evaluated for clinical outcomes and/or for adverse events at days 6 to 8, 13 to 15 and 33 to 35 posttherapy. Microbiologic assessments (pharyngeal cultures) were conducted at baseline and at each follow-up visit. Results. A total of 132 patients in the ceftibuten arm and 116 in the azithromycin arm were enrolled in the safety analysis, whereas 126 and 101, respectively, were enrolled for ceftibuten and azithromycin efficacy evaluation. Clinical success (cure or marked amelioration) at days 6 to 8 was recorded in 98 and 94% in the 2 groups, respectively. In the bacteriologic efficacy analysis at 6 to 8 days, the GABHS strain was eradicated in 76% of the patients treated with ceftibuten and in 76% of those receiving azithromycin. At 33 to 35 days, 84% of the patients in the ceftibuten arm and 71% in the azithromycin arm were GABHS-negative, and bacteriologic relapse was observed in 4 and 7% of the ceftibuten and azithromycin cases, respectively. Both treatments were well-tolerated by all patients. Conclusions. Ceftibuten and azithromycin allow simple treatment schedules (i.e. once daily administration, short duration of treatment). The somewhat higher eradication rate recorded after ceftibuten administration is consistent with the overall superior bactericidal activity of beta-lactams compared with macrolides vs. GABHS in vitro.

The single-dose pharmacokinetics of cefodizime were studied in ten hospitalized children aged between two and 15 years and weighing 12.5-26.2 kg. Six subjects received the drug (25 mg/kg) im and four received it iv. Cefodizime concentrations in blood and urine (iv dosage only) sampled up to 12h post dose were measured by microbiological assay and pharmacokinetic parameters were derived on the basis of a two-compartment open model. Peak serum concentrations were 131 +/- 22.7 mg/l (15 min post iv dose) and 54.8 +/- 17.8 mg/l (60 min post im dose). Mean T1/2 beta were 1.9 +/- 0.13 h (iv) and 1.88 +/- 0.25 h (im). Mean AUCs were 217.2 +/- 37.9 mg.h/l (iv) and 150.85 +/- 22.98 mg.h/l (im). Mean volumes of distribution were 7.6 +/- 2.5 l (iv) and 7.9 +/- 1.41 (im). Twelve hours after the iv administration the cumulative urinary excretion was 78-87% of the dose. The pharmacokinetic behaviour of cefodizime in children is thus similar to that of other compounds in this class.