CASE PRESENTATION: An 8-year-old and an 11-year-old were admitted separately to the hospital with fever for 7 and 14 days, respectively. In the younger child, a generalized rash preceded the fever. Both had been well, with no significant past medical history prior to the onset of the illness. In both girls, abdominal ultrasonography showed multiple small hypoechoic lesions suggestive of abscesses scattered throughout the spleen. Their C-reactive protein and blood cultures were negative, and symptoms persisted despite intravenous antibiotics. Fulfilling the clinical and immunologic criteria for diagnosis, both were ultimately diagnosed with childhood-onset SLE. Rapid recovery of symptoms and complete resolution of the abscesses ensued with corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: These two cases suggest that aseptic splenic abscesses may occur in childhood-onset SLE. Autoimmune conditions such as SLE should be included in the differential diagnosis of children with occult splenic abscesses.
METHODS: A retrospective study identifying all children aged
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of all children who had liver and/or spleen abscesses on abdominal ultrasonography admitted to Bintulu Hospital in Sarawak, Malaysia, from January 2014 until December 2018.
RESULTS: Fifty-three children had liver and/or spleen abscesses. Spleen abscesses were present in 48 (91%) cases; liver abscesses in 15 (28%). Melioidosis was confirmed by culture in 9 (17%) children; small occult splenic abscesses were present in all cases. In 78% of these cases, the lesions were detected before any positive culture (or serology) results were available. Four (8%) children had bacteriologically-confirmed tuberculosis. Two (4%) had Staphylococcus aureus infection. Of the remaining 38 (72%) culture-negative cases, 36 (95%) had clinical and imaging characteristics similar to that of children with culture-confirmed melioidosis and improved with empirical melioidosis antibiotic therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: A large number of children in Bintulu Hospital in Sarawak, Malaysia, were found to have spleen abscesses. Melioidosis was the most common etiology identified in these children. Abdominal ultrasonography is extremely useful in facilitating the diagnosis of pediatric melioidosis.
METHODS: We conducted a retrospective descriptive study of all children aged