Bio


Talal Seddik is a Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. His research interests include bloodstream infection in children who have intestinal insufficiency, antimicrobial stewardship, neonatal enterovirus sepsis and acute flaccid myelitis.

Clinical Focus


  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases

Academic Appointments


Administrative Appointments


  • Director of Pediatric Infection Prevention and Control, John Muir Health (2019 - Present)
  • Director of Pediatric Antimicrobial Stewardship, John Muir Health (2019 - Present)

Professional Education


  • Board Certification: American Board of Pediatrics, Pediatric Infectious Diseases (2019)
  • Fellowship: Stanford University Pediatric Infectious Disease Fellowship (2018) CA
  • Board Certification: American Board of Pediatrics, Pediatrics (2015)
  • Residency: University of Florida at Sacred Heart Pediatric Residency (2015) FL
  • Medical Education: Cairo University Faculty of Medicine Office of the Registrar (2009) Egypt
  • Board Certification, American Board of Pediatrics (2015)
  • Residency, Florida State University (2015)
  • Internship, Florida State University (2013)
  • Medical Education, Cairo University School of Medicine (2009)

Current Research and Scholarly Interests


Talal Seddik is a member of the Collaborative Antiviral Study Group. He is the key site investigator at the Stanford site for the following multicenter studies:

1) DMID 19-0026 Enterovirus Study
Neonatal Enterovirus and Human Parechovirus Viral Sepsis: Natural History and Predictors of Morbidity and Mortality

This study will be the first large, multi-state prospective assessment of the viral causes of neonatal sepsis conducted. The main reason for this research study is to get a better understanding of what causes neonatal viral sepsis and to assess the impact of the infection on the babies’ health. Viruses called enterovirus (EV) or human parechovirus (HPeV) are very common in the population and can cause neonatal viral sepsis. By gaining a better understanding of the condition, we hope this information can be used to guide diagnosis and treatment of babies with neonatal viral sepsis in the future.

This study is actively enrolling subjects

2) DMID 19-0005 Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) Study
A Prospective Study of Acute Flaccid Myelitis (AFM) to Define Natural History, Risk Factors and Pathogenetic Mechanisms

Patients with suspected AFM (onset of flaccid limb weakness within the previous 30 days) are eligible to enroll in the study. Investigators will assess participants at four-time points within the first month of enrollment and will ask participants to return for additional follow up visits at 3 months, 7 months and 1 year. Neurologic improvements will be tracked over time, and samples will be collected and stored in a biorepository for use in future research studies. Household contacts, such as siblings, will be eligible to participate in the study as a control or comparison group.

This study is actively enrolling subjects.

All Publications


  • Meningitis due to Roseomonas in an immunocompetent adolescent. Access microbiology Waris, R. S., Ballard, M., Hong, D., Seddik, T. B. 2021; 3 (3): 000213

    Abstract

    Both bacterial and aseptic meningitis can complicate neurosurgery, but they are often difficult to distinguish clinically or by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis. We present an adolescent with subacute meningitis after neurosurgery, eventually diagnosed with meningitis caused by Roseomonas mucosa via 16S rRNA gene sequencing after two negative CSF cultures. He was treated successfully with intravenous meropenem with full recovery. This case shows that distinguishing bacterial from aseptic meningitis is important to allow directed antibiotic therapy. We recommend considering bacterial meningitis in the differential diagnosis of aseptic meningitis complicating neurosurgery, and to perform molecular diagnostics such as bacterial sequencing if the suspicion of bacterial meningitis is high.

    View details for DOI 10.1099/acmi.0.000213

    View details for PubMedID 34151165

  • Reducing Piperacillin and Tazobactam Use for Pediatric Perforated Appendicitis. The Journal of surgical research Seddik, T. B., Rabsatt, L. A., Mueller, C. n., Bassett, H. K., Contopoulos-Ioannidis, D. n., Bio, L. L., Anderson, V. D., Schwenk, H. T. 2020; 260: 141–48

    Abstract

    Although perforated appendicitis is associated with infectious complications, the choice of antibiotic therapy is controversial. We assess the effectiveness and safety of an intervention to reduce piperacillin and tazobactam (PT) use for pediatric acute perforated appendicitis.This is a single-center, retrospective cohort study of children 18 y of age who underwent primary appendectomy for perforated appendicitis between January 01, 2016 and June 30, 2019. An intervention to decrease PT use was implemented: the first phase was provider education (April 19, 2017) and the second phase was modification of electronic antibiotic orders to default to ceftriaxone and metronidazole (July 06, 2017). Preintervention and postintervention PT exposure, use of PT ≥ half of intravenous antibiotic days, and clinical outcomes were compared.Forty children before and 109 after intervention were included and had similar baseline characteristics. PT exposure was 31 of 40 (78%) and 20 of 109 (18%) (P < 0.001), and use ≥ half of intravenous antibiotic days was 31 of 40 (78%) and 14 of 109 (13%) (P < 0.001), in the preintervention and postintervention groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in mean duration of antibiotic therapy (10.8 versus 9.8 d), mean length of stay (6.2 versus 6.5 d), rate of surgical site infection (10% versus 11%), or rate of 30-d readmission and emergency department visit (20% versus 20%) between the preintervention and postintervention periods, respectively.Provider education and modification of electronic antibiotic orders safely reduced the use of PT for pediatric perforated appendicitis.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jss.2020.11.067

    View details for PubMedID 33340867

  • Risk Factors of Ambulatory Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection in Pediatric Short Bowel Syndrome. JPEN. Journal of parenteral and enteral nutrition Seddik, T. B., Tian, L., Nespor, C., Kerner, J., Maldonado, Y., Gans, H. 2019

    Abstract

    BACKGROUND: Children with short bowel syndrome (SBS) receiving home parenteral nutrition (HPN) are predisposed to ambulatory central line-associated bloodstream infection (A-CLABSI). Data describing risk factors of this infection in children are limited.METHODS: Retrospective cohort, single-center, case-crossover study of children ≤18 years old with SBS receiving HPN from January 2012 to December 2016. Univariate and multivariate mixed effect Poisson regression identified the relative risk (RR) of A-CLABSI with proposed risk factors.RESULTS: Thirty-five children were identified; median follow-up was 30 months. A-CLABSI rate was 4.2 per 1000 central line (CL) days. Univariate analysis identified younger age (RR: 0.92 per 12-month increase [95% confidence interval {CI}: 0.85-0.99; P = 0.036]), shorter small intestine length (RR: 0.96 per 10-cm increase [95% CI: 0.92-0.99; P = 0.008]), lower citrulline level (RR: 0.86 per 5-nmol/mL increase [95% CI: 0.75-0.99; P = 0.036]), and recent CL break (RR: 1.55 [95% CI: 1.06-2.28; P = 0.024]) as risk factors for A-CLABSI. Multivariate analysis showed increased A-CLABSI with clinical diagnosis of small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) (RR: 1.87 [95% CI: 1.1-3.17; P = 0.021]) and CL breaks (RR: 1.49 [95% CI: 1-2.22; P = 0.024]).CONCLUSIONS: Factors influencing gut integrity increase A-CLABSI rate, supporting translocation as an important mechanism and target for prevention. Clinical diagnosis of SIBO increases A-CLABSI rate, but whether dysbiosis or diarrhea is responsible is an area for future research. CL maintenance is crucial, and prevention of breaks would likely decrease A-CLABSI rate.

    View details for DOI 10.1002/jpen.1667

    View details for PubMedID 31179578