Pediatric Anaerobic Infection. Diagnosis and Management. 2nd Edition

Infectious diseases are a principal cause of morbidity and mortality in pediatrics, and their management is an important component of pediatric medicine. The preponderance of serious bacterial infections in pediatrics are due to a relatively few aerobic bacterial species. Anaerobic bacteria have been recognized as significant pathogens in both adults and children in comparatively fewer settings, but have been better appreciated as anaerobic culture techniques have improved. This book focuses on these small numbers of infections in the pediatric age group. The author is well-recognized for his extensive research of anaerobic infections in children. This second edition of Pediatric Anaerobic Infection contains new chapters discussing the virulence of anaerobic infection, genitourinary infection, infected solid tumors, and synergistic therapy of anaerobic infections. Although the focus of this book is clearly directed toward infection in the pediatric age group, in many instances an insufficient amount of published experience exists to permit adequate discussion. Thus, in many cases the larger published experience in adult patients is included. This material belies both the smaller numbers of anaerobic infections seen in pediatric as compared to adult patients, and the comparatively fewer published studies in the pediatric literature. For each chapter related to infection of a specific organ or organ system, the first one or two paragraphs briefly mention the more common bacterial causes of infection. Such a brief overview may be sufficient for specialists in pediatric infectious diseases, but places less specialized clinicians at a disadvantage in putting the role of anaerobic infections into overall perspective. Typically the organization of discussion includes the microbiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, management, and complications of each infection. The style of presentation is primarily summation and amalgamation of relevant published information, which is presented in a logical manner, and with the text appropriately referenced. This approach is helpful to the clinician who is searching for the information that is currently available on a given topic, but may be less satisfactory for the student or clinician who is trying to identify the current standard of practice in a succinct statement. Numerous tables are included, taken almost exclusively from the author's own published work. The majority of tables are listings of anaerobic organisms isolated from various infections or listings of the salient features of reported cases. There are few diagrams, and the only photographs demonstrate the materials used for collection and transportation of anaerobic culture specimens. Most of the volume is textual, which is divided only by a few major chapter subdivisions and fewer minor subdivisions. The educational benefit of this book, which is directed toward clinicians, would have been enhanced by including other material in addition to the text and the two types of tables. The caliber of the index is extremely disappointing, particularly for a book which will serve primarily as a reference work, and especially as it is a second edition. Very