Infections and antibiotic resistance in Malawian children under five years old hospitalized with severe acute malnutrition

Bryan J Vonasek; Mwawi Nyirongo; Alexander Kondwani; Tiwonge Kamvaunamwali; Doris Ng'oma; Emily J Ciccone; James Kaphatika; Amazing-Grace Tepeka; Mercy Kumwenda; Jens Eickhoff; Anthony J Garcia-Prats; Tisungane Mvalo

doi:10.1093/jpids/piae120

Infections and antibiotic resistance in Malawian children under five years old hospitalized with severe acute malnutrition

J Pediatric Infect Dis Soc. 2024 Dec 4:piae120. doi: 10.1093/jpids/piae120. Online ahead of print.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
² Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Kamuzu Central Hospital, Lilongwe, Malawi.
³ UNC Project Malawi, Lilongwe, Malawi.
⁴ Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
⁵ Department of Biostatistics & Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
⁶ Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.

PMID: 39656758
DOI: 10.1093/jpids/piae120

Abstract

This prospective cohort study from Malawi updates our understanding of the burden of bacterial infections and drug resistance in children <5 years hospitalized with severe acute malnutrition. Urinary tract infection was diagnosed in 20% and bacteremia in 10%. Resistance to first and second-line antibiotics occurred in >1/3 of bacteria isolated.

Keywords: Malawi; serious bacterial infections; severe acute malnutrition.

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