Polymicrobial bloodstream infections a risk factor for mortality in neonates at the national hospital, Tanzania: A case-control study.

Background: Polymicrobial bloodstream infections (BSI) are difficult to treat since empiric antibiotics treatment are frequently less effective against multiple pathogens. The study aimed to compare outcomes in patients with polymicrobial and monomicrobial BSIs.

Methods: The study was a retrospective case-control design conducted at Muhimbili National Hospital for data processed between July 2021 and June 2022.

Challenges and Outcomes of the First Stem Cell Transplant Program in Tanzania, East Africa.

Introduction: Due to the significant resources involved in creating HSCT programs there is a significant disparity in the availability of this treatment modality between the developed and developing countries. This manuscript details the process and the outcomes of the first HSCT program in East Africa which was started at Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH) in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

Materials And Methods: Information and data were collected on the processes which had been implemented for starting the HSCT program at MNH.

Humoral Immune Responses following COVID-19 Vaccinations among Adults in Tanzania.

COVID-19 vaccination remains to be the most important intervention in the fight against the pandemic. The immunity among the vaccinated population and its durability can significantly vary due to various factors. This study investigated the humoral immune responses among individuals who received any of the COVID-19 vaccines approved for use in Tanzania.

Serology, infection, and clinical trachoma as tools in prevalence surveys for re-emergence of trachoma in a formerly hyperendemic district.

Background: To eliminate trachoma as a public health problem, countries must achieve a district-level prevalence of trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) <5% in children ages 1-9 years. Re-emergence of TF could trigger additional rounds of mass drug/antibiotic administration (MDA), so accurate tools for use in surveys assessing trachoma prevalence are essential.

Methodology & Principal Findings: We surveyed 2401 children ages 1-9 years from 50 villages in Kongwa, Tanzania, 2 years post-MDA and 1.

Biannual Treatment of Preschool Children with Single Dose Azithromycin to Reduce Mortality: Impact on Azithromycin Resistance in the MORDOR Trial in Tanzania.

The study showed that administration of biannual, single-dose azithromycin to preschool children reduces mortality. We sought to evaluate its impact on azithromycin resistance. Thirty randomly selected communities in Kilosa district, Tanzania, were randomized to receive 6-monthly single-dose azithromycin (∼20 mg/kg) versus placebo treatment of children aged 1-59 months.

The Babesia observational antibody (BAOBAB) study: A cross-sectional evaluation of Babesia in two communities in Kilosa district, Tanzania.

Background: Babesia, a tick-borne genus of intraerythrocytic parasites, is understudied in humans outside of established high-endemic areas. There is a paucity of data on Babesia in Africa, despite evidence that it is regionally present. A pilot study suggested that Babesia was present in a rural district of Tanzania.

Morbidity in a Longitudinal Cohort of Children Residing in Villages Randomized to Biannual Treatment With Azithromycin Versus Placebo.

Background: The mechanisms underlying the finding of reduced child mortality in communities with biannual treatment with azithromycin remain unclear. We determined if there was a difference in morbidity in a cohort of children aged 1-36 months, residing in communities randomized to biannual treatment of preschool-aged children with azithromycin or placebo.

Methods: Thirty villages in Kilosa, Tanzania, were randomly assigned to receive biannual treatment of all children aged 1-59 months with either azithromycin (20/mg/kg single dose) or placebo.

High prevalence and poor linkage to care of transfusion-transmitted infections among blood donors in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

Blood transfusion is one of the most commonly relied upon therapies in sub-Saharan Africa. Existing safeguards recommended include systematic screening for transfusion-transmitted infections and restricted voluntary nonremunerated blood donor selection. We report the transfusion-transmitted infection screening and notification practice at a large urban blood transfusion centre in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

Optimization of a rapid test for antibodies to the Chlamydia trachomatis antigen Pgp3.

Serological surveillance for trachoma could allow monitoring of transmission levels in areas that have achieved elimination targets. Platforms that allow testing in basic laboratories or testing of easy-to-manage samples such as dried blood spots would contribute to the feasibility of serologic testing. Blood from 506 1-12-year-olds in 2 villages in Kongwa district, Tanzania, was tested for antibodies against the antigen Pgp3.

Evaluation of a Single Dose of Azithromycin for Trachoma in Low-Prevalence Communities.

Purpose: Trachoma, caused by repeated ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis, is the leading infectious cause of blindness worldwide and is targeted for elimination as a public health problem. We sought to determine whether a one-time azithromycin mass treatment would reduce trachomatous inflammation-follicular (TF) levels below the elimination threshold of 5% in communities with disease prevalence between 5 and 9.9%.

Impact of Ivermectin Mass Drug Administration for Lymphatic Filariasis on Scabies in Eight Villages in Kongwa District, Tanzania.

Scabies was recently added to the World Health Organization list of neglected tropical diseases. The ability to treat scabies with oral ivermectin makes a mass drug administration (MDA) campaign a feasible option for scabies control. Ivermectin MDA in communities endemic for lymphatic filariasis (LF) or onchocerciasis may already be having an impact on scabies.

and Malaria Infection in Africa: A Pilot Serosurvey in Kilosa District, Tanzania.

is a tick-borne intraerythrocytic parasite that is clinically and diagnostically similar to malaria parasite, conferring risk of misdiagnosis in areas where both parasites are endemic. Data on in humans in Africa are lacking, despite evidence that it is present in regional animal populations. Samples that were collected in November 2014 to July 2015 in Kilosa district, Tanzania, were evaluated for evidence of malaria and infection.

Antibiotic Resistance in Young Children in Kilosa District, Tanzania 4 Years after Mass Distribution of Azithromycin for Trachoma Control.

Mass administration of azithromycin (MDA) is integral to trachoma control. Recent studies suggest that MDA may increase drug-resistant pathogens, yet findings from prior studies suggest little long-term impact on resistance. This disparity may be linked to differences in pre-MDA community-level resistance patterns.

Trachomatous Scarring and Infection With Non-Chlamydia Trachomatis Bacteria in Women in Kongwa, Tanzania.

Purpose: To assess for an association between conjunctival infection with nonchlamydial bacterial species and the presence of trachomatous scarring (TS) in women in central Tanzania.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from a random sample of women ages 18 and older in 47 trachoma-endemic communities in Kongwa, Tanzania. Each participant completed a survey, provided a conjunctival swab sample, and received an ocular exam to assess for TS.

Corneal Sensitivity and Presence of Pathogenic Organisms Among Participants Who Have Undergone Trichiasis Surgery Differ by Surgical Outcome.

Purpose: To explore the potential association between reduced corneal sensation and/or conjunctival bacterial colonization and postoperative trichiasis and eyelid contour abnormalities after corrective eyelid surgery among participants with a history of trachomatous trichiasis.

Methods: As an ancillary study to the Partnership for Rapid Elimination of Trachoma (PRET) Surgery Trial in southern Tanzania, we collected data on 580 PRET participants who had undergone trichiasis surgery 1 year earlier and 200 age-group-matched individuals without trichiasis. Assessments included eyelid status evaluation (presence and severity of postoperative trichiasis and/or eyelid contour abnormality), corneal sensitivity by Cochet-Bonnet aesthesiometer, a questionnaire on symptoms of ocular irritation, and conjunctival microbiology.

Serological Measures of Trachoma Transmission Intensity.

Ocular infection with Chlamydia trachomatis can lead to trachoma, a leading infectious cause of blindness. Trachoma is targeted for elimination by 2020. Clinical grading for ocular disease is currently used for evaluating trachoma elimination programs, but serological surveillance can be a sensitive measure of disease transmission and provide a more objective testing strategy than clinical grading.

Clinical and virological response to antiretroviral drugs among HIV patients on first-line treatment in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

Introduction: In Tanzania, the follow-up on antiretroviral therapy (ART) response is based on clinical outcomes. We investigated virological response and ARV resistance mutations in relation to clinical response in ARV-treated patients.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study of a cohort of 150 patients taking first-line ART in Dar-es-Salaam was conducted.

High nasal carriage of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus among healthy Tanzanian under-5 children.

This study aimed to determine the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) carriage, risk factors of colonization and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of S. aureus strains.

Mass distribution of azithromycin for trachoma control is associated with increased risk of azithromycin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae carriage in young children 6 months after treatment.

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that the mass distribution of azithromycin for trachoma control (MDA) may increase circulation of macrolide resistance in bacteria associated with severe pediatric infections in treated communities.

Methods: We examined the effect of MDA on nasopharyngeal carriage of antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae among 1015 young children living in rural Tanzania. MDA with a single dose of oral azithromycin was provided in 4 of 8 communities where trachoma prevalence was ≥10%.

Penicillin resistance and serotype distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae in nasopharyngeal carrier children under 5 years of age in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

This study aimed to determine the magnitude of nasopharyngeal carriage, antimicrobial resistance and serotype distribution of Streptococcus pneumoniae in healthy children under 5 years of age in Tanzania. Nasopharyngeal swabs were obtained from 300 healthy children attending a child health clinic at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. S.

Antimicrobial resistance among producers and non-producers of extended spectrum beta-lactamases in urinary isolates at a tertiary Hospital in Tanzania.

Background: Published data on the existence and magnitude of extended spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) production in urinary pathogens in local setting is limited. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and ESBL production among Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp from urine samples in a tertiary hospital. This was a cross sectional study conducted at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.