Invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease in Northwestern Ontario First Nations communities: Case Series

• Published in: International Journal of Case Reports
• Main Author: Chelsea J. Kubinec MSci1, Len Kelly MD MClinSci2, Sarah Byce MD, MSci1, Raymond S.W. Tsang MMedSc PhD3, Marina Ulanova MD PhD4
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: eSciPub LLC 2020
• Subjects: Haemophilus influenzae; invasive disease; First Nations communities; First Nations
• Online Access: https://escipub.org/index.php/IJCR/article/view/662; https://doi.org/10.28933/ijcr-2020-05-2805

We present clinical and microbiological data of 5 pediatric cases of invasive Haemophilus influenzae disease, which occurred over a period of 10 months in the service area of a regional hospital of Northwestern Ontario. Four cases of invasive H. influenzae type a (Hia) disease presented either as meningitis, non-complicated and complicated pneumonia, or soft tissue infection in children between 7 months and 6 years of age. Although the cases were from different communities with no known common exposure, the Hia isolates demonstrated similar phenotypic and genotypic characteristics. One case of invasive disease due to nontypeable H. influenzae (NTHi) presented as chorioamnionitis in an adolescent. The data emphasize the significance of Hia and NTHi as a cause of serious disease in Indigenous communities.