IDWeek Commentary | Dr. Mei Zeng: Racing Against Time! Developing a Predictive Model for Early Identification of Severe Infections in Newborns

IDWeek Commentary | Dr. Mei Zeng: Racing Against Time! Developing a Predictive Model for Early Identification of Severe Infections in Newborns

Half of all global child deaths under the age of 5 are caused by infections, and half of all sepsis patients worldwide are children, especially newborns. These alarming statistics highlight the significant challenge of infection treatment in pediatric clinical practice. At the recent IDWeek 2023 in the United States, a predictive model for severe infection in infants under 90 days of age, based on clinical data and inflammatory biomarkers, was reported. This predictive model may aid in the early identification of newborns at high risk of severe infection, allowing timely clinical intervention to reduce the risk of disease progression. Dr. Mei Zeng from the Children's Hospital of Fudan University/National Children's Medical Center provides an introduction and commentary on this research.
IDWeek Commentary | Dr. Hongmei Xu: CMV PCR Agreement between Blood and Dried Blood Spots in Infants with Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection

IDWeek Commentary | Dr. Hongmei Xu: CMV PCR Agreement between Blood and Dried Blood Spots in Infants with Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection

Infants can be infected with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) through vertical mother-to-child transmission, and CMV infection screening is required for some newborns with specific indications. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a commonly used clinical method for qualitative or quantitative diagnosis of CMV, and it can test specimens such as urine, plasma, and dried blood spots, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. A recent study evaluating the consistency of plasma PCR and dried blood spot PCR for CMV infection diagnosis was presented at the 2023 IDWeek. Dr. Hongmei Xu from Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University introduces and comments on this study.