Background: Pneumonia is the major cause of mortality and morbidity in children worldwide. Procalcitonin (PCT) and Creactive protein (CRP) are used in developed countries to differentiate between viral and bacterial causes of pneumonia. Validity of these markers needs to be further explored in Africa. Me...
The antimicrobial susceptibility and mechanisms of resistance of 109 Shigella and 40 Salmonella isolates from children with diarrhea in southern Mozambique were assessed. The susceptibility to seven antimicrobial agents was tested by disk diffusion, and mechanisms of resistance were searched by PCR or co...
Background: Although community-acquired bacteremia is an important cause of childhood mortality in Africa, recognition of disease burden and potential impact of bacterial vaccines is limited. ethods: Blood cultures for bacterial pathogens were conducted systematically among children <15 years of age admi...
Introduction: Acute bacterial meningitis (ABM) is one of the most severe diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although data for the continent is very limited, more than one million cases are estimated per year, with mortality and life-long sequelae occurring in 50% of these cases. Methods: As part of the clin...
Since the seventh pandemic caused by Vibrio cholerae biotype El Tor began in Indonesia in 1961, most regions of the world continue to report cholera outbreaks.1 Cholera is most common in rural areas or communities where sanitation conditions and water supply are problematic.2 In 1997, a cholera epidemic ...
Objective: To describe and compare serotype distribution and antibiotic susceptibility of invasive and nasopharyngeal isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from children in rural Mozambique. Methods: From August 2002 to July 2003, we prospectively obtained invasive pneumococcal isolates from children <15 ...
