Audit of clinical-laboratory practices in haematology and blood transfusion at Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania.

In Tanzania, there is paucity of data for monitoring laboratory medicine including haematology. This therefore calls for audits of practices in haematology and blood transfusion in order to provide appraise practice and devise strategies that would result in improved quality of health care services. This descriptive cross-sectional study which audited laboratory practice in haematology and blood transfusion at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) aimed at assessing the pre-analytical stage of laboratory investigations including laboratory request forms and handling specimen processing in the haematology laboratory and assessing the chain from donor selection, blood component processing to administration of blood during transfusion.

Delayed-type hypersensitivity testing in Tanzanian adults with HIV infection.

Delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) testing and total lymphocyte counts as measures of cell-mediated immune function were assessed for medical patients in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. DTH testing was performed with the Multitest CMI device which simultaneously administers seven antigens. Of 201 patients completing DTH testing, 90 were HIV seropositive.

Elevated levels of methaemoglobin in Tanzanian children with severe and uncomplicated malaria.

Elevated levels of methaemoglobin, the ferric form of haemoglobin incapable of oxygen transport, have been previously found during Plasmodium vivax infections and in acidotic infants. We measured methaemoglobin in the following 5 groups of children with P. falciparum malaria admitted to Muhimbili Medical Centre, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Diagnosis and screening of HIV/AIDS using clinical criteria in Tanzanian adults.

The clinical utility of the World Health Organization (WHO) clinical case definition (CCD) of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Africa, several proposed modifications of the WHO CCD, and two proposed screening algorithms for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection were examined in adult medical inpatients in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were determined for the CCDs and screening algorithms. Multivariable analysis identified factors with high accuracy for HIV infection.