Invasive disease caused by Haemophilus parainfluenzae III in a child with uropathy

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by Haemophilus parainfluenzae represent a very small percentage of this kind of pathology in children, and it has scarcely been described in the medical literature. According to previous studies of over 800 urine samples in children under 15 years old, a decrease of 50 % (from 0.13 % to 0.07 %) is estimated in its occurrence over the last two decades. This can be explained by the early detection of UTIs and their early empirical treatment, because this micro-organism shows high sensitivity to antibiotics. Also, the culture media in which this bacterium grows are not included in most current protocols. Here we report a case of a UTI caused by H. parainfluenzae in a 4-year-old boy.