Septicaemia is an important cause of maternal, neonatal and paediatric
morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Due to lack of rapid and
accurate diagnostics, the exact microbial aetiology and drug resistance
profiles remain undefined. New and affordable diagnostic tools are
required to improve treatment and reduce mortality.
Phase 1: Prospective observational study of the microbial aetiology of
septicaemia in Zambian women, neonates and children admitted to
University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka. This will be performed using blood
culture and microbiological techniques, alongside a novel state-of-the
art array-based system from
Mobidiag,
Finland, to determine the prevalence of different pathogens, their drug
resistance profiles and to identify risk factors linked with poor
outcomes.
Phase 2: Candidate pathogens and drug resistance markers predictive of
mortality will be selected based on the findings of phase 1 (and other
published data from the region) to design an affordable molecular
diagnostic test for septicaemia, tailored to the pathogens and drug
resistances prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa.