title: Risk and causes of paediatric hospital-acquired bacteraemia in Kilifi District Hospital, Kenya: a prospective cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In sub-Saharan Africa, community-acquired bacteraemia is an important cause of illness and death in children. Our aim was to establish the magnitude and causes of hospital-acquired (nosocomial) bacteraemia in African children.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed prospectively collected surveillance data of 33,188 admissions to Kilifi District Hospital, Kenya, between April 16, 2002, and Sept 30, 2009. We defined bacteraemia as nosocomial if it occurred 48 h or more after admission. We estimated the per-admission risk, daily rate, effect on mortality, and microbial cause of nosocomial bacteraemia and analysed risk factors by multivariable Cox regression. The effect on morbidity was measured as the increase in hospital stay by comparison with time-matched patients without bacteraemia.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall risk of nosocomial bacteraemia during this period was 5·9/1000 admissions (95% CI 5·2-6·9) but we recorded an underlying rise in risk of 27% per year. The incidence was 1·0/1000 days in hospital (0·87-1·14), which is about 40 times higher than that of community-acquired bacteraemia in the same region. Mortality in patients with nosocomial bacteraemia was 53%, compared with 24% in community-acquired bacteraemia and 6% in patients without bacteraemia. In survivors, nosocomial bacteraemia lengthened hospital stay by 10·1 days (3·0-17·2). Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter spp, group D streptococci, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa accounted for three-quarters of nosocomial infections. Nosocomial bacteraemia was significantly associated with severe malnutrition (hazard ratio 2·52, 95% CI 1·79-3·57) and blood transfusion in children without severe anaemia (4·99; 3·39-7·37).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings show that although nosocomial bacteraemia is rare, it has serious effects on morbidity and mortality, and the microbiological causes are distinct from those of community-acquired bacteraemia. Nosocomial infections are largely unrecognised or undocumented as a health risk in low-income countries, but they are likely to become public health priorities as awareness of their occurrence increases and as other prominent childhood diseases are progressively controlled.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Wellcome Trust.
authors: Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya; London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK. Electronic address: aaiken@nairobi.kemri-wellcome.org.
authors: Alexander M
authors: AM
authors: Aiken
authors: Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya; Ministry of Medical Services, Kilifi District Hospital, Kilifi, Kenya.
authors: Neema
authors: N
authors: Mturi
authors: Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya; Ministry of Medical Services, Kilifi District Hospital, Kilifi, Kenya.
authors: Patricia
authors: P
authors: Njuguna
authors: Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya; Ministry of Medical Services, Kilifi District Hospital, Kilifi, Kenya.
authors: Shebe
authors: S
authors: Mohammed
authors: Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya; Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
authors: James A
authors: JA
authors: Berkley
authors: Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya.
authors: Isaiah
authors: I
authors: Mwangi
authors: Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya.
authors: Salim
authors: S
authors: Mwarumba
authors: Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya.
authors: Barnes S
authors: BS
authors: Kitsao
authors: Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya; Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
authors: Brett S
authors: BS
authors: Lowe
authors: Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya; Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
authors: Susan C
authors: SC
authors: Morpeth
authors: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
authors: Andrew J
authors: AJ
authors: Hall
authors: Ministry of Medical Services, Kilifi District Hospital, Kilifi, Kenya.
authors: Iqbal
authors: I
authors: Khandawalla
authors: Kenya Medical Research Institute-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi, Kenya; Nuffield Department of Clinical Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford University, Oxford, UK.
authors: J Anthony G
authors: JAG
authors: Scott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D001803:Blood Transfusion / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003428:Cross Infection / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006090:Gram-Negative Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006094:Gram-Positive Bacteria / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006767:Hospitals, District; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007630:Kenya / Q000453:epidemiology; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index