A prospective study of bloodstream infections as cause of fever in Malawi: clinical predictors and implications for management.

Objective: To determine the contribution of a blood culture service to the diagnosis of fever in a resource-poor setting and to identify clinical predictors of specific bloodstream infections (BSI).

Methods: In a descriptive, prospective study at the Medical Wards at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, Blantyre, Malawi, we tried to identify a specific cause of fever in febrile patients, comparing the use of routinely available diagnostic methods with the same methods plus blood culture. Clinical predictors of specific BSIs were sought.