Clinical Decision Support in Non-typhoidal Salmonella Bloodstream Infections in Children

Conditions

Bloodstream Infection, Malaria,Falciparum, Salmonella Bacteremia, Severe Malaria

Keywords

Bloodstream infection, Salmonella non-typhi, Children under five years, Clinical decision support, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Fever, Febrile illness, Malaria, Anemia, Malnutrition, Bacterial infection

Brief summary

In sub-Saharan Africa, non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) are a frequent cause of bloodstream infection, display high levels of antibiotic resistance and have a high case fatality rate (15%). In Kisantu hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), NTS account for 75% of bloodstream infection in children and many children are co-infected with Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) malaria. NTS bloodstream infection presents as a non-specific severe febrile illness, which challenges early diagnosis and, as a consequence, prompt and appropriate antibiotic treatment.Moreover, at the first level of care, frontline health workers have limited expertise and diagnostic skills and, as a consequence, clinical danger signs that indicate serious bacterial infections are often overlooked. Basic handheld diagnostic instruments and point-of-care tests can help to reliably detect danger signs and improve triage, referral and the start of antibiotics, but there is need for field implementation and adoption to low-resource settings. Further, it is known that some clinical signs and symptoms are frequent in NTS bloodstream infections. The integration of these clinical signs and symptoms in a clinical decision support model can facilitate the diagnosis of NTS bloodstream infections and target antibiotic treatment. The investigators aim to develop such a clinical decision support model based on data from children under five years old admitted to Kisantu district referral hospital in the Democratic republic of the Congo. While developing the model, the investigators will focus on the signs and symptoms that can differentiate NTS bloodstream infection from severe Pf malaria and on the clinical danger signs that can be assessed by handheld diagnostic instruments and point-of-care tests. The deliverable will be a clinical decision support model ready to integrate in an electronic decision support system.

Bieke Tack, Daniel Vita, Jules Mbuyamba, José Nketo, Emmanuel Ntangu et al. (20 authors)

PLoS neglected tropical diseases2026-06-24

10.1371/journal.pntd.0014457

Developing a clinical prediction model to modify empirical antibiotics for non-typhoidal Salmonella bloodstream infection in children under-five in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Tack B, Vita D, Mbuyamba J, Ntangu E, Vuvu H, Kahindo I, Ngina J, Luyindula A, Nama N, Mputu T, Im J, Jeon H, Marks F, Toelen J, Lunguya O, Jacobs J, Van Calster B.

2025-01-272 citations

10.1186/s12879-024-10319-x

16 Poor availability of age-appropriate drug formulations in DR Congo: a barrier to switch from intravenous to oral antibiotics in children admitted to Kisantu hospital

Bieke Tack, Daniel Emmanuel, Japhet Vita, Ntangu Ngina, Octavie Lunguya et al. (8 authors)

Archives of Disease in Childhood2023-05-182 citations

10.1136/archdischild-2023-esdppp.16

Field Experiences with Handheld Diagnostic Devices to Triage Children under Five Presenting with Severe Febrile Illness in a District Hospital in DR Congo

Bieke Tack, Daniel Vita, Irène Mansosa, Thomas Nsema Mbaki, Naomie Wasolua et al. (9 authors)

Diagnostics2022-03-183 citations

10.3390/diagnostics12030746

Interventions

None listed

Study design

Observational model

COHORT

Time perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender

ALL

Age

28 Days to 5 Years

Healthy volunteers

No

Inclusion criteria

1. Be a child of \> 28 days and \< 5 years old 2. Be admitted to Kisantu Hospital 3. Having a blood cultured sampled according to the criteria for suspected bloodstream infection embedded in the blood culture surveillance, i.e. presence of objective fever, hypothermia or history of fever during past 48 hours + at least one of the following criteria: * Hypotension, confusion or increased respiratory rate * Suspicion of severe localized infection: pneumonia, meningitis, osteomyelitis, complicated urinary tract infection, abscess, skin/soft tissue infection or abdominal infection * Suspicion of typhoid fever * Suspicion of severe Pf malaria 4. Having a caregiver willing and able to provide written informed consent

Exclusion criteria

* None

Design outcomes

Primary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Predictive signs and symptoms	12 months	Identify clinical signs and symptoms predictive for and differentiate between: 1.1. NTS bloodstream infection 1.2. severe Pf malaria mono-infection 1.3. NTS/Pf malaria co-infection 1.4. other-pathogen bloodstream infections 1.5. other causes of febrile illness requiring hospital admission
Contribution of handheld diagnostics and point-of-care tests to NTS bloodstream infection diagnosis	12 months	Assess the contribution of handheld diagnostic instruments and point-of-care tests to the detection of danger signs associated with NTS bloodstream infection
Clinical decision support model for NTS bloodstream infection	12 months	Develop a clinical decision support model for diagnosis of NTS bloodstream infection based on the predictive clinical signs and symptoms associated with NTS bloodstream infections

Secondary

Measure	Time frame	Description
Contribution of handheld diagnostics and point-of-care tests to bloodstream infection diagnosis	12 months	Assess the contribution of handheld diagnostic instruments and point-of-care tests to the detection of danger signs associated with all pathogen bloodstream infection (NTS and other-pathogen bloodstream infections combined)
Geographical clustering	12 months	Assess the geographical clustering of cases with NTS bloodstream infection
Clinical decision support model for bloodstream infection	12 months	Develop a clinical decision support model for diagnosis of bloodstream infection caused by all pathogens (NTS and other pathogens combined)
Case fatality	12 months	Determine the clinical signs and symptoms associated with case fatality in NTS bloodstream infection and all pathogen bloodstream infections (NTS and other pathogen combined)

Countries

Belgium

Outcome results