The Etiologic, Microbiologic, Clinical and Outcome Characteristics of Immunocompetent Young Children < 2 Years of Age Hospitalized with Acute Neutropenia

Abstract Objectives To describe the etiologic, microbiologic, clinical and outcome characteristics of acute neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count, ANC, Methods Serious bacterial infections (SBI) were defined as culture-positive blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, articular fluid or stool infections, alveolar pneumonia, Brucellosis and Rickettsiosis. Results 431/671 (64.2%) healthy infants and children hospitalized with acute neutropenia were 380C was present in 208/431 (48.3%) patients. Blood cultures were positive in 10 (2.3%), with Brucella melitensis, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterobacter spp. identified in 4, 3 and 2 patients, respectively; 5/10 patients with positive blood cultures were 12 months, respectively and 56.8%, 53.5% and 52% of patients with severe, moderate and mild neutropenia, respectively). Conclusions Acute neutropenia is common in immunocompetent children