Presumptive bacteriological diagnosis of spondylodiscitis in infants less than 4 years by detecting K. kingae DNA in their oropharynx: Data from a preliminar two centers study

Background and ObjectivesMost cases of spondylodiscitis in children aged between 6 and 48 months old could be caused primarily by K. kingae. The present prospective study aimed to determine whether an innovative and indirect diagnosis approach - based on detection of K. kingae DNA in the oropharynx of children with suspected spondylodiscitis – provides sufficient evidence that this microorganism is responsible for the infection.MethodsWe prospectively analysed infants admitted for spondylodiscitis, considering above all the results of PCR realized in oropharyngeal swabs and in blood samples.ResultsFour of the 29 performed K. kingae-specific real-time PCR assay in blood were positive (13.8%), whereas 28 of the 32 K. kingae-specific real-time PCR assay realized on throat swabs were positive (87.5%).ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that performing oropharyngeal swab PCR is able to detect K. kingae in almost 90% of the toddlers with confirmed spondylodiscitis. That provides strong arguments for the hypothesis that K. kingae should be considered as the main aetiological pathogen to suspect in children between 6 and 48 months old with spondylodiscitis. Finally, it seems to us reasonable that oropharyngeal swab may become an early decision-making tool for the indirect identification of K. kingae in spondylodiscitis.