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Objectives: Septic arthritis (SA) is a serious bacterial infection that must be treated efficiently and timely. The large number of culture-negative cases makes local epidemiological data important. Accordingly, this study aimed to evaluate the etiology, clinical characteristics, and therapeutic approach of SA in children in Turkiye, emphasizing the role of real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques in the diagnosis. Methods: In this multi-center, prospective study, children hospitalized due to SA between February 2018 and July 2020 in 23 hospitals in 14 cities in Turkiye were included. Clinical, demographic, laboratory, and radiological findings were assessed, and real-time PCR was performed using synovial fluid samples. Results: Seventy-five children aged between 3 and 204 months diagnosed with acute SA were enrolled. Joint pain was the main complaint at admission, and the most commonly involved joints were the knees in 58 patients (77.4%). The combination of synovial fluid culture and real-time PCR detected causative bacteria in 33 patients (44%). In 14 (18.7%) patients, the etiological agent was demonstrated using only PCR. The most commonly isolated etiologic agent was Staphylococcus aureus, which was detected in 22 (29.3%) patients, while Streptococcus pyogenes was found in 4 (5.3%) patients and Kingella kingae in 3 (4%) patients. Streptococcus pyogenes and Kingella kingae were detected using only PCR. Most patients (81.3%) received combination therapy with multiple agents, and the most commonly used combination was glycopeptides plus third-generation cephalosporin. Conclusions: Staphylococcus aureus is the main pathogen in pediatric SA, and with the use of advanced diagnostic approaches, such as real-time PCR, the chance of diagnosis increases, especially in cases due to Kingella kingae and Streptococcus pyogenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study is to identify the epidemiological, clinical, and laboratory features of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in children. Methods: A retrospective study was conducted by pediatric infectious disease specialists from 32 different hospitals from all over Turkey by case record forms. Pediatric cases who were diagnosed as COVID-19 between March 16, 2020, and June 15, 2020 were included. Case characteristics including age, sex, dates of disease onset and diagnosis, family, and contact information were recorded. Clinical data, including the duration and severity of symptoms, were also collected. Laboratory parameters like biochemical tests and complete blood count, chest X-ray, and chest computed tomography (CT) were determined. Results: There were 1,156 confirmed pediatric COVID-19 cases. In total, male cases constituted 50.3% ( n = 582) and females constituted 49.7% ( n = 574). The median age of the confirmed cases was 10.75 years (4.5-14.6). Of the total cases, 90 were younger than 1 year of age (7.8%), 108 were 1-3 years of age (9.3%), 148 were 3-6 years of age (12.8%), 298 were 6-12 years of age (25.8%), 233 were 12-15 years of age (20.2%), and 268 cases were older than 15 years of age (23.2%). The most common symptom of the patients at the first visit was fever (50.4%) ( n = 583) for a median of 2 days (IQR: 1-3 days). Fever was median at 38.4°C (38.0-38.7°C). The second most common symptom was cough ( n = 543, 46.9%). The other common symptoms were sore throat ( n = 143, 12.4%), myalgia ( n = 141, 12.2%), dyspnea ( n = 118, 10.2%), diarrhea ( n = 112, 9.7%), stomachache ( n = 71, 6.1%), and nasal discharge ( n = 63, 5.4%). When patients were classified according to disease severity, 263 (22.7%) patients were asymptomatic, 668 (57.7%) patients had mild disease, 209 (18.1%) had moderate disease, and 16 (1.5%) cases had severe disease. One hundred and forty-nine (12.9%) cases had underlying diseases among the total cases; 56% of the patients who had severe disease had an underlying condition ( p < 0.01). The need for hospitalization did not differ between patients who had an underlying condition and those who do not have ( p = 0.38), but the need for intensive care was higher in patients who had an underlying condition ( p < 0.01). Forty-seven (31.5%) of the cases having underlying conditions had asthma or lung disease (38 of them had asthma). Conclusions: To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the largest pediatric data about confirmed COVID-19 cases. Children from all ages appear to be susceptible to COVID-19, and there is a significant difference in symptomatology and laboratory findings by means of age distribution., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Karbuz, Akkoc, Bedir Demirdag, Yilmaz Ciftdogan, Ozer, Cakir, Hancerli Torun, Kepenekli, Erat, Dalgic, Ilbay, Karaaslan, Erdeniz, Aygun, Bozdemir, Hatipoglu, Emiroglu, Sahbudak Bal, Ciftci, Bayhan, Gayretli Aydin, Ocal Demir, Kilic, Hacimustafaoglu, Sener Okur, Sen, Yahsi, Akturk, Cetin, Sutcu, Kara, Uygun, Tural Kara, Korukluoglu, Akgun, Üstündağ, Demir Mis, Sali, Kaba, Yakut, Kılıc, Kanik, Cetin, Dursun, Cicek, Kockuzu, Sevketoglu, Alkan, Guner Ozenen, İnce, Baydar, Ozkaya, Ovali, Tekeli, Celebi, Cubukcu, Bal, Khalilova, Kose, Hatipoglu, Dalkiran, Turgut, Basak Altas, Selcuk Duru, Aksay, Saglam, Sari Yanartas, Ergenc, Akin, Duzenli Kar, Sahin, Tuteroz, Bilen, Ozdemir, Senoglu, Pariltan Kucukalioglu, Besli, Kara, Turan, Selbest Demirtas, Celikyurt, Cosgun, Elevli, Sahin, Bahtiyar Oguz, Somer, Karadag, Demirhan, Turk Dagi, Kurugol, Taskin, Sahiner, Yesil, Ekemen Keles, Sarikaya, Erdem Eralp, Ozkinay, Konca, Yilmaz, Gokdemir, Arga, Ozen, Coksuer, Vatansever, Tezer and Kara.)