Bacteremia in hospitalized children.

Among 7,205 children hospitalized in the Pediatric Service at the Rokach (Hadassah) Hospital during 1980 and 1981, 44 were found to be bacteremic. The most common pathogen was Streptococcus pneumoniae, followed by Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Klebsiella and others; 52% of the isolates were gram-negative. The most common focus of infection was the respiratory tract, followed by the gastrointestinal and urinary tracts. Almost half of the bacteremic children were under 2 years of age. Other data, such as predisposing conditions and mortality, and whether the bacteremias were hospital acquired, are also analyzed. All of the findings are discussed and compared to the findings from the few similar studies in the literature.