Infection and morbidity in patients with tuberculosis in Nairobi, Kenya.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the role of acute infection as a cause of morbidity in patients with tuberculosis.


METHODS
Cross-sectional documentation of predefined acute morbid events.


METHODS
Infectious Diseases Hospital, Nairobi, Kenya.


METHODS
Adults (> or = 15 years), inpatients and outpatients with a diagnosis of tuberculosis presenting with one or more of a series of clinical features. A new event was defined as one occurring at least 1 week after the initial event.


METHODS
Patients' treatment was modified depending on the results of laboratory investigations.


METHODS
There were 642 events from 398 patients, 235 HIV-positive patients had 438 events and 163 HIV-negative patients had 204 events (P < 0.0001). Forty-two out of the 235 (18%) HIV-positive patients were bacteraemic compared with nine out of the 163 (6%) HIV-negative patients (P = 0.0003). The most common isolates from blood were Salmonella typhimurium and Streptococcus pneumoniae.


RESULTS
Faecal specimens were obtained more commonly from HIV-positive patients (P < 0.001), and often contained bacterial pathogens.


CONCLUSIONS
Many of the causes of morbidity in patients with tuberculosis and HIV are not due to tuberculosis or antituberculous therapy, and will not be identified without microbiological investigation.
Brindle
R J
RJ
Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi.
Nunn
P P
PP
Batchelor
B I
BI
Gathua
S N
SN
Kimari
J N
JN
Newnham
R S
RS
Waiyaki
P G
PG
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D009017:Morbidity; D013183:Sputum / Q000382:microbiology; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000652:urine