title: Effect of nutritional and HIV status on bacteraemia in Zimbabwean children who died at home.
abstract: From July 1992 to May 1993 a study was performed of the relationship between bacteraemia, nutritional status and HIV status in 212 out of 334 consecutive infants and children aged 0-5 years, who had died at home in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The remaining 122 children were excluded because the time period between death and arrival at the hospital was over 3 h. A pathogen was isolated from 92 (43%) children and Klebsiella species were most commonly isolated. A positive HIV-1 serology was found in 122 (58%) children and 110 (52%) children were malnourished. Malnutrition was significantly associated with bacteraemia at death after adjustment for the confounding effect of age and HIV status (odds ratio 4.28; 95% CI 2.27-8.07; P < 0.001). No association was found between either HIV serostatus or proven HIV infection and bacteraemia, which could not be attributed to nutritional status. Conclusion. Bacteraemia, in particular with Gram-negative bacteria, is an important cause of death in malnourished children in Zimbabwe regardless of their HIV-1 antibody status.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Mpilo Central Hospital, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Ikeogu
authors.forename: E T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Vos
mesh_terms: D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D001431:Bacteriological Techniques; D002423:Cause of Death; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003906:Developing Countries; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006679:HIV Seropositivity / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007710:Klebsiella Infections / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D015030:Zimbabwe / Q000453:epidemiology