Derivation and Internal Validation of a Clinical Prediction Model for Diagnosis of Spotted Fever Group Rickettsioses in Northern Tanzania.

Spotted fever group rickettsioses (SFGR) pose a global threat as emerging zoonotic infectious diseases; however, timely and cost-effective diagnostic tools are currently limited. We used data from 449 patients presenting to 2 hospitals in northern Tanzania between 2007 and 2008, of which 71 (15.8%) met criteria for acute SFGR based on ≥4-fold rise in antibody titers between acute and convalescent serum samples.

Evaluation of in-hospital management for febrile illness in Northern Tanzania before and after 2010 World Health Organization Guidelines for the treatment of malaria.

Objective: In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) published updated guidelines emphasizing and expanding recommendations for a parasitological confirmation of malaria before treating with antimalarials. This study aimed to assess differences in historic (2007-2008) (cohort 1) and recent (2011-2012) (cohort 2) hospital cohorts in the diagnosis and treatment of febrile illness in a low malaria prevalence area of northern Tanzania.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed data from two prospective cohort studies that enrolled febrile adolescents and adults aged ≥13 years.