Evaluation of the incidence of occult bacteremia among children with fever of unknown origin.

We reviewed the incidence of occult bacteremia, to identify the most frequent etiological agents of bacteremias in otherwise healthy children from one month to 10 years old, who had fever of unknown origin attended at the emergency ward of an urban, university-affiliated pediatric referral center. This was a retrospective medical record review, evaluating children with fever. Data were collected from the initial visit, when blood cultures, hematological properties and hemosedimentation rates were examined. Fever was considered as the highest temperature assessed in the hospital or reported by the responsible adult. Occult bacteremia was discovered in 1.4% of the 1,051 children evaluated, and the most common etiologic agent was Streptococcus pneumoniae. Total leukocyte count and blood sedimentation rates greater than 30 mm(3) were not predictive factors for occult bacteremia. Fever greater than 39 masculineC was the most important factor for predicting occult bacteremia (P<0.001). The presence of occult bacteremia was significantly correlated with patient hospitalization.