Hemophilus influenzae cellulitis

To define the clinical features of cellulitis due to Hemophilus influenzae type B, we reviewed the records of 78 children admitted to the hospital with cellulitis during a one-year period. Fifty-two children were afebrile (T < 38°C) and none had infections due to H. influenzae. Twenty-six children were febrile, 19 with facial and seven with extremity lesions. H. influenzae type B was recovered from seven of the febrile children with facial cellulitis, and one with extremity involvement. The mean WBC count of children with disease due to this organism was 17,500/mm³. Both fever and a leukocytosis (WBC count > 15,000/mm³) occurred more often in children with H. influenzae type B cellulitis than among those with infections due to other organisms.