CAPRICE: Surveillance of Serious Pediatric Community-Acquired Bacterial Infections in France

Severe childhood infections still represent a major cause of death (from 5% in high-income countries to 35% in low-income countries) with about 30% of serious sequelae (amputation, neurological impairments, deafness, etc.). Vaccination has led to a decrease in some infections, but it is essential to monitor the emergence of new pathogens for better prevention and understanding of serious infections. 

The CAPRICE project, led by Michaël Levy, pediatric intensivist in Strasbourg University Hospital, will be a national prospective multicenter cohort study conducted in all French pediatric intensive care units. 

The overall objectives of the project are to assess the number of cases and to describe the clinical characteristics, organ failure, biological and microbiological data of cases of severe community-acquired bacterial invasive infections hospitalized in pediatric intensive care units in France as well as to describe the particularities of the host's inflammatory and immune response.  

The long-term impacts are an improvement in the care of the general pediatric population, who will have access to better prevention (vaccines, immunization, information) and early management (information campaign, targeted anti-infective treatments) following the results of this work.