Bacterial infection in children with HIV: a prospective study from Cape Town, South Africa.
Invasive bacterial infection in children infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is common. South African data on this problem are limited. Over 1 year we prospectively studied 108 HIV-infected children hospitalized for 136 presumed infective episodes. Blood culture was positive in 24.8% of episodes. Streptococcus pneumoniae predominated (14/30 positive blood cultures); one-third of isolates showed resistance to penicillin. Acute lower respiratory tract infection accounted for 44% of clinical diagnoses, a bacterial cause being established for 23.8% of these. Age and stage of HIV infection did not influence the likelihood of a positive culture. A high proportion of presumed infective episodes requiring hospitalization of young HIV-infected children have a bacterial cause. Blood culture appears to be a useful method of obtaining the microbiological information required to focus antibiotic therapy.
Westwood
A T
AT
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. westwood@ich.uct.ac.za
Eley
B S
BS
Gilbert
R D
RD
Hanslo
D
D
D017088:AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D000293:Adolescent; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D010403:Penicillin Resistance; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology; D013019:South Africa; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000187:drug effects