BackgroundSevere acute malnutrition (SAM) accounts for two million deaths worldwide annually. In those hospitalised with SAM, concomitant infections and diarrhoea are frequent complications resulting in adverse outcome. We examined the clinical and laboratory features on admission and outcome of children with SAM and diarrhoea at a Kenyan district hospital.MethodsA 4-year prospective descriptive study involving 1,206 children aged 6 months to 12 years, hospitalized with SAM and managed in accordance with WHO guidelines. Data on clinical features, haematological, biochemical and microbiological findings for children with diarrhoea (≥3 watery stools/day) were systematically collected and analyzed to identify risk factors associated with poor outcome.ResultsAt admission 592 children (49%) had diarrhoea of which 122 (21%) died compared to 72/614 (12%) deaths in those without diarrhoea at admission (Χ2 = 17.6 p<0.001). A further 187 (16%) children developed diarrhoea after 48 hours of admission and 33 died (18%). Any diarrhoea during admission resulted in a significantly higher mortality 161/852 (19%) than those uncomplicated by diarrhoea 33/351 (9%) (Χ2 = 16.6 p<0.001). Features associated with a fatal outcome in children presenting with diarrhoea included bacteraemia, hyponatraemia, low mid-upper arm circumference <10 cm, hypoxia, hypokalaemia and oedema. Bacteraemia had the highest risk of death (adjusted OR 6.1; 95% C.I 2.3, 16.3 p<0.001); and complicated 24 (20%) of fatalities. Positive HIV antibody status was more frequent in cases with diarrhoea at admission (23%) than those without (15%, Χ2 = 12.0 p = 0.001) but did not increase the risk of death in diarrhoea cases.ConclusionChildren with SAM complicated by diarrhoea had a higher risk of death than those who did not have diarrhoea during their hospital stay. Further operational and clinical research is needed to reduce mortality in children with SAM in the given setting.

IBI is common in outborn young infants admitted to rural African hospitals with a high mortality. Presumptive antimicrobial use is justified for all young infants admitted to the hospital.

BackgroundReady-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF) are lipid-based pastes widely used in the treatment of acute malnutrition. Current specifications for RUTF permit a high n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content and low n-3 PUFA, with no stipulated requirements for preformed long-chain n-3 PUFA. The objective of this study was to develop an RUTF with elevated short-chain n-3 PUFA and measure its impact, with and without fish oil supplementation, on children’s PUFA status during treatment of severe acute malnutrition.MethodsThis randomized controlled trial in children with severe acute malnutrition in rural Kenya included 60 children aged 6 to 50 months who were randomized to receive i) RUTF with standard composition; ii) RUTF with elevated short chain n-3 PUFA; or iii) RUTF with elevated short chain n-3 PUFA plus fish oil capsules. Participants were followed-up for 3 months. The primary outcome was erythrocyte PUFA composition.ResultsErythrocyte docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content declined from baseline in the two arms not receiving fish oil. Erythrocyte long-chain n-3 PUFA content following treatment was significantly higher for participants in the arm receiving fish oil than for those in the arms receiving RUTF with elevated short chain n-3 PUFA or standard RUTF alone: 3 months after enrolment, DHA content was 6.3% (interquartile range 6.0–7.3), 4.5% (3.9–4.9), and 3.9% (2.4–5.7) of total erythrocyte fatty acids (P <0.001), respectively, while eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) content was 2.0% (1.5–2.6), 0.7% (0.6–0.8), and 0.4% (0.3–0.5) (P <0.001). RUTF with elevated short chain n-3 PUFA and fish oil capsules were acceptable to participants and carers, and there were no significant differences in safety outcomes.ConclusionsPUFA requirements of children with SAM are not met by current formulations of RUTF, or by an RUTF with elevated short-chain n-3 PUFA without additional preformed long-chain n-3 PUFA. Clinical and growth implications of revised formulations need to be addressed in large clinical trials.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov NCT01593969. Registered 4 May 2012.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12916-015-0315-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Paracheck-Pf is a rapid, qualitative immuno-assay for the detection of Plasmodium falciparum-specific histidine-rich protein-2 in samples of human blood. The assay has now been evaluated, against the usual 'gold standard', microscopy, using blood samples from 1655 individuals in five districts of Tanzania, four of which experience frequent malaria outbreaks. The aim was to verify whether Paracheck-Pf could be a reliable tool for the confirmation of malaria outbreaks in such areas. The overall measurements of the assay's performance were good, with a sensitivity of 90.0%, a specificity of 96.6%, a positive predictive value of 88.9%, and a negative predictive value of 97.0% (with an estimated malaria prevalence of 23.3%). There was, however, marked variation between the study districts, the assay's performance being relatively poor where the test had been stored for 12 months at room temperature (23.5+/-3.5 degrees C). The assay was easy to perform in the field and could clearly be a valuable tool in remote areas and in emergency situations, such as the early detection of malaria outbreaks. The cost of the assay (U.S.$0.62/test at the time of the present study) is sufficiently low that its routine use in the confirmation of P. falciparum malaria might also be cost-effective, particularly in areas where there are no facilities for microscopy and/or where the first-line treatment of malaria is based on relatively expensive artemisinin-based combinations.