Structured Immune Workup in Healthy Children With a First Episode of Severe Bacterial Infection: A 7-year Single-Center Study

BACKGROUND: Severe bacterial infections (SBIs) in otherwise healthy children are rare and may represent an underlying impairment of the immune system, including primary immunodeficiency. However, it is unclear whether and how children should be assessed. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from hospital records of previously healthy children aged 3 days to 18 years with SBI, including pleuropneumonia, meningitis, and/or sepsis. Patients were diagnosed or immunologically followed up between 1 January 2013 and 31 March 2020. RESULTS: Among 432 children with SBI, findings could be analyzed in 360. Follow-up data were available for 265 children (74%), of whom 244 (92%) underwent immunological testing. Laboratory abnormalities were found in 51 of 244 patients (21%), with 3 deaths (1%). Fourteen children (6%) had immunodeficiency considered clinically relevant (3 complement deficiencies, 1 autoimmune neutropenia, 10 humoral immunodeficiencies), and 27 (11%) had milder humoral abnormalities or findings suggestive of delayed adaptive immune maturation. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial proportion of children with SBI may benefit from routine immunological testing, revealing (potentially) clinically relevant impaired immune function in 6%–17% of children. The identification of immune abnormalities allows for specific counseling of families and optimization of preventive measures, such as booster vaccinations, to avoid future SBI episodes.