As Guest Editors of the Special Focus issue on Pediatric Infections of the Expert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy, we feel enthusiastic about the number of expert reviews on diagnostics and therapeutics we have recruited for this issue. The interesting and timely topics range from bacterial and viral to fungal and parasitic diseases, and include prevention as well as community-acquired and nosocomial infections, and outpatient and intensive care aspects. This extremely broad range of topics reflects the daily spectrum of pediatric infectious diseases that makes this field both demanding and rewarding.
The discipline of pediatric infectious diseases has evolved to an essential and attractive medical speciality all over the world. Pediatric infectious diseases specialists are mainly based in hospital settings and have activities in clinics, teaching and research that are comparable to their colleagues in adult infectious diseases. The four disciplines microbiology, epidemiology, immunology and pharmacology form the foundation for both pediatric and adult infectious disease specialists. Nevertheless, there are major and essential differences: the basic medical training is in pediatrics and not in internal medicine, and there are numerous age-related distinctions in the etiology, epidemiology, pathogenesis, management and prevention of childhood infections. Important and relevant examples of the uniqueness of pediatric infectious diseases include the perinatal/neonatal pathologies, the epidemiology of both colonization and infection – including antimicrobial resistance – in the close-contact situations of daycare, school and similar settings, the age dependence of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, and the premier significance of implementing adequate immunization programs in pediatrics. Infectious diseases represent the reason for hospitalization of children up to 50% of the time. The mainstays of pediatric infectious diseases remain careful patient history and clinical findings that underscore the importance of high-quality medical education and training. Laboratory, imaging and other diagnostic evaluations require detailed selection in pediatric patients, because the availability and/or volume of biological samples and often the feasibility of invasive procedures often are limited.
The challenging and complex tasks for the discipline of pediatric infectious diseases in the years to come include the constantly changing spectrum of infectious diseases, the molecular advances in microbiology, immunology and genetics, novel electronic communication tools, and the dramatic progress in vaccinology. The ultimate goal is to maintain high-quality patient management, high-standard teaching and excellent research, with improvements in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infections in children.
This special issue of Expert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy is an example of modern, high-quality continued postgraduate training for the future of our pediatric infectious diseases speciality.
Financial & competing interests disclosure
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.