Download Appendix A: Definition of Serious Bacterial Infections (SBI) [taken

Appendix A: Definition of Serious Bacterial Infections (SBI) [taken from Brauner et
al16 ]
Bacteremia, bacterial meningitis, and bacterial gastroenteritis were defined as the
presence of pathogenic bacteria in blood, in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and in stool
culture, respectively. Pneumonia(*) was defined as the presence of a lobar or
segmental infiltrate in the chest radiographs. A second pediatrician reviewed the
chest radiographs when there was doubt about the interpretation and the final
diagnosis was based on the consensus of the two. Mastoiditis was defined as the
otoscopic documentation of otitis media and the presence of at least one of the
physical signs of mastoiditis (retroauricular swelling, erythema or tenderness, or
protrusion of the pinna) plus a supporting finding such as positive culture from the
bone/ middle ear or fluid in the mastoid cells demonstrated by a computed
tomography (CT) scan. Osteomyelitis was defined by the presence of fever plus
localized tenderness, edema or erythema overlying the suspected site of bone
infection, and compatible imaging findings +/- growth of pathogenic bacteria from
blood, bone, or subperiosteal aspirate culture. Suppurative arthritis was defined as the
growth of pathogenic bacteria from the synovial fluid or blood culture in a patient
with purulent joint fluid or positive results from Gram staining the joint fluid.
Urinary tract infection was defined as the growth of>104 colony-forming units of a
single species of pathogenic bacteria from urine culture obtained by bladder
catheterization or any growth of single species of pathogenic bacteria from urine
culture obtained by Supra pubic aspiration. Lymphadenitis was defined as an
inflamed cervical mass in the presence of a positive throat culture.
(*) In patients with pneumonia we did not routinely preformed other tests such as PCR or viral
cultures in order to establish bacterial etiology.