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Concurrent infections in acute febrile illness patients in Egypt

Tina M Parker1, Clinton K Murray, Allen L Richards

  • 1United States Naval Medical Unit No. 3, FPO AE 09835, Cairo, Egypt 09835. tina_parker@uiowa.edu

The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
|August 11, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Concurrent infections with multiple acute febrile illness (AFI) pathogens were found in 12.4% of patients in Egypt. High coinfection rates highlight the need for accurate diagnosis of AFI to guide effective treatment and prevention strategies.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Epidemiology
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Acute febrile illness (AFI) poses a significant public health challenge in Egypt.
  • Concurrent infections with multiple pathogens can complicate diagnosis and treatment of AFI.
  • Limited data exists on the prevalence of co-infections among AFI patients in Egypt.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the occurrence of concurrent infections with multiple AFI pathogens in Egypt.
  • To identify the prevalence of specific co-infecting pathogens including Leptospira, Rickettsia typhi, Brucella, and Salmonella enterica serogroup Typhi.
  • To assess the impact of geographical location (urban vs. rural) on coinfection rates.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective laboratory-based surveillance conducted in four infectious disease hospitals in Egypt from June 2005 to August 2006.
  • Patients were screened for four key AFI pathogens using serology, culture, and PCR.
  • Confirmatory evidence for co-infections included a 4-fold rise in antibody titer, positive culture, and/or positive PCR results.

Main Results:

  • Out of 1,510 evaluated patients, 187 (12.4%) showed evidence of co-infections.
  • A total of 20 patients (1%) were confirmed to have infections with two or more pathogens.
  • Co-infected patients were predominantly from rural agricultural areas, suggesting a link between occupation/environment and coinfection risk.

Conclusions:

  • Concurrent infections with multiple AFI pathogens are common in Egypt, particularly in rural settings.
  • Accurate etiological diagnosis of AFI is crucial for effective patient management, including appropriate treatment and prevention strategies.
  • Further research into the epidemiology and clinical impact of AFI co-infections in Egypt is warranted.

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