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F S Mhalu

Publications and source records attributed to F S Mhalu.

48 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1979

Rapid emergence of El Tor Vibrio cholerae resistant to antimicrobial agents during first six months of fourth cholera epidemic in Tanzania.

110 El Tor Vibrio cholerae isolates from 102 patients with cholera between November, 1977, and March, 1978, during the early stages of the fourth epidemic of cholera in Tanzania had minimum inhibitory concentrations to tetracycline, chloramphenicol, nitrofurantoin, neomycin, ampicillin, and sulphadimidine determined. All isolates during the first month after the disease was recognised were fully sensitive to tetracycline, but 76% of isolates were resistant to the drug after five months of extensive use of tetracycline therapeutically and prophylactically in the country. Resistance to the five other antibacterial agents developed more slowly. Isolates from patients who failed to clear the organism from their stools or who had cholera soon after tetracycline prophylaxis had increased minimum inhibitory concentrations of the drug. Resistance did not develop in vivo. Although resistance to tetracycline readily developed following extensive use of the drug, such a resistance was not the only reason for failure of tetracycline treatment and prophylaxis. Mass chemoprophylaxis in the control of cholera should be discouraged unless evidence to the contrary becomes available.

Ampicillin↗
PubMed1977

Streptococcus agalactiae in urinary tract infections.

Streptococcus agalactiae was found to be the cause of approximately 1% of urinary tract infections in a London teaching hospital in the 2 years studied. Of the forty-eight patients with this infection, forty-three were female. In nine patients the infection followed renal transplantation while in nine others it occurred in the presence of chronic renal failure. The rest, who included seven females who developed the infection following hysterectomies, had other clinical conditions which could have predisposed to such infections. The rarity of urinary tract infection by S. agalactiae is in contrast to the high frequency with which the organism colonizes the normal urethra. Serotypes III and II were the predominant isolates in these patients with urinary tract infections; this corresponds to the distribution of the different serotypes in the genito-urinary tract of normal individuals.

Female↗
PubMed1976

Infection with Streptococcus agalactiae in a London hospital.

Streptococcus agalactiae is presently the commonest beta-haemolytic streptococcus isolated from clinical material in this hospital. Between October 1974 and March 1975, 81 patients with such infections were seen. Seventeen had urinary tract infections, six had septicaemia, and one neonate had meningitis. Three of those with septicaemia were neonates and two died. The organism was also found to be a cause of pyogenic skin conditions in five patients. Isolates from throat swabs in 12 patients, from sputum in four, and from the female genital tract in 18 were considered part of the normal flora. Human strains of Str. agalactiae were found to be biochemically different from animal strains.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

The bacteriological ecosystem of the skin of children in an African tropical envirovment (Tanzania).

Using a standardized method for sampling, the aerobic microbial flora of the skin of ninety-five children in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, was studied qualitatively and quantitatively. The subjects comprised three groups; group A, thirty-seven normal infants (below the age of 1 year); group B, twenty-nine infants with various bacterial skin lesions; and group C, twenty-nine nursery school children between 4-5 and 7 years. The following observations were made: (I) The quantitative results indicated; (a) great variation between individuals, which was more marked among the females; (b) lower bacterial counts in infants than in older children; (c) counts were not affected by the presence of infection or state of cleanliness; (d) there were some differences between females and males and between different ethnic groups. (2) Qualitatively, the types of organisms isolated were similar to those reported elsewhere. There were differences in carrier rates of many organisms but these were most striking with Staphylococcus aureus and Staph. albus. It is concluded that there are great differences in carrier rates between persons in a tropical African environment and those studied elsewhere. These difference may be due to environmental, geographical or ethnic factors. Such observations call for more studies in this area to establish the normal flora.

Aerobiosis↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prevalence and incidence of syphilis and its association with HIV-1 infection in a population-based study in the Kagera region of Tanzania.

Population-based prevalence and incidence studies on HIV-1 infection were started in the Kagera region of Tanzania in 1987. The prevalence and incidence of infection with Treponema pallidum was studied to enable development of better strategies for STD control. Serological diagnosis of a past or treated infection with Troponema pallidum was made by seropositivity only to TPHA testing while active syphilis was diagnosed by seropositivity to both VDRL and TPHA tests. Seroconversion was measured in 1989 by finding TPHA serologically positive individuals during the follow-up period among the initially seronegative study population of 1987. The overall prevalence of active syphilis in the total sample of adults in the region was found to be 5.9% while that of past syphilis was 13.5%. The association between the prevalence of HIV-1 infection and syphilis of both types was found to be highly significant. However, the association between one pre-existing infection and seroconversion in the other was present but not statistically significant. The overall incidence of syphilis based on seroconversion in a cohort of adults in the region was found to be 11.6 per 1000 person-years at risk. In view of these findings, syphilis is a significant health problem in the region with a high level of transmission and efforts should be made to control it. Intervention studies should use these base-line data and monitor changes in syphilis incidence which may indicate changes in sexual behaviour. Such indicators could also be useful for evaluating the impact of interventions directed at reducing the transmission of HIV, syphilis and other STDs in the region.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An investigation of a cholera epidemic in Butiama village of the Mara Region, Tanzania.

An outbreak of cholera between 19 March and 10 April 1986 in Butiama village of the Mara Region, Tanzania, was investigated in a case-control study, to try to find out the source of infection and its mode of transmission. Sixty-seven patients, including 11 deaths occurring before 29 March, were used to describe the epidemic, but 26 of the first patients were interviewed using a questionnaire, and each was compared with age and sex-matched healthy next-door neighbours. They were questioned about likely risk factors. Though the first two patients were recorded from 2 of the 4 zones of the village, from the second day onwards they came concurrently from all the 4 zones. Also, the number of patients from each zone did not vary significantly. The number of patients reached its peak on 22 March. Females were five times more infected than males, but the case fatality rate was similar. Vibrio cholerae was not isolated from water and fish-scale samples, but a history of handling and eating fish, and attendance at social gatherings were significantly associated with the transmission of cholera. The origin of the outbreak appeared to be either multifocal or a common source with concurrent multiple exists.

Cholera↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Cholera control in an inaccessible district in Tanzania: importance of temporary rural centres.

The fourth ever recorded outbreak of cholera on Tanzania mainland started on 2.10.77 in Twasalie village which is a delta island in the Utete district on the Indian Ocean coastal line. Poor communication and inadequate health facilities in the district delayed detection and reporting of the outbreak for four weeks leading to wide dissemination of the disease. Socio-cultural and religious practices by residents of the district especially the procedure of burying the dead played a key role in enhancing spread of the infection. The outbreak was controlled by establishing 16 multipurpose cholera centres in the district. Whereas 55% of the 69 patients with the disease before control measures were introduced died, the mortality rate was reduced to 1.6% out of the 184 severely ill patients admitted to treatment centres.

Cholera↗