Metronidazole resistance in Trichomonas vaginalis from highland women in Papua New Guinea.

Background: The prevalence of the sexually transmissible protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis in the highlands of Papua New Guinea (PNG) has been reported to be as high as 46% and although not previously studied in Papua New Guinea, clinical resistance against metronidazole (Mz), the drug most commonly used to treat trichomoniasis, is well documented worldwide. This study was primarily aimed at assessing resistance to Mz in T. vaginalis strains from the Goroka region.

Etiology of child mortality in Goroka, Papua New Guinea: a prospective two-year study.

Objective: To collect accurate data on disease- and microbial-specific causes and avoidable factors in child deaths in a developing country.

Methods: A systematic prospective audit of deaths of children seen at Goroka Hospital in the highlands of Papua New Guinea was carried out. Over a 24-month period, we studied 353 consecutive deaths of children: 126 neonates, 186 children aged 1-59 months, and 41 children aged 5-12 years.

Chloramphenicol versus benzylpenicillin and gentamicin for the treatment of severe pneumonia in children in Papua New Guinea: a randomised trial.

Background: Pneumonia is the most frequent cause of child mortality in less-developed countries. We aimed to establish whether the combination of benzylpenicillin and gentamicin or chloramphenicol would be better as first-line treatment in children with severe pneumonia in Papua New Guinea.

Methods: We did an open randomised trial in which we enrolled children aged 1 month to 5 years of age who fulfilled the WHO criteria for very severe pneumonia and who presented to hospitals in two provinces.