title: Bacteremia and malaria in Tanzanian children hospitalized for acute febrile illness.
abstract: We recorded the reason for presentation to a rural hospital in an area endemic for malaria in 909 children between January 2006 and March 2009. Blood smears were examined for Plasmodium falciparum parasites, and blood spots dried on filter paper were prepared for 464 children. A PCR assay utilizing the stored blood spots was developed for Streptococcus pneumoniae (lytA) and Haemophilus influenzae (pal). Malaria was present in 299 children whose blood was tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR); 19 had lytA and 15 had pal. The overall prevalence of lytA was 25 of the 464 children, while that of pal was 18 children. Fever was present in 369 children of whom 19 had lytA DNA while 11 had pal DNA detected. Of the 95 afebrile children, six had lytA and seven pal. We conclude that there are no clinical features that distinguish malaria alone from bacteremia alone or the presence of both infections.
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle Children's Hospital, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Ingrid S
authors.initials: IS
authors.lastname: Lundgren
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle Children's Hospital, WA, USA Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, WA, USA.
authors.forename: Sonya L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Heltshe
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle Children's Hospital, WA, USA Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, Washington, WA, USA arnold.smith@seattlechildrens.org duffype@niaid.nih.gov.
authors.forename: Arnold L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: MOMS Project-Morogoro Regional Hospital and Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, Morogoro, Tanzania.
authors.forename: Jerome
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chibwana
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, NIAID, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Michal W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Fried
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Malaria Immunology and Vaccinology, NIAID, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Patrick E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Duffy
mesh_terms: D016470:Bacteremia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005334:Fever / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006192:Haemophilus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008288:Malaria / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016778:Malaria, Falciparum / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000235:genetics; D011008:Pneumococcal Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D013296:Streptococcus pneumoniae / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013636:Tanzania / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: Acute febrile illness; Bacteremia; Malaria