Etiologies of Fever Among Adults in Dar es Salaam
![]() |
The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01947075 |
Recruitment Status
:
Completed
First Posted
: September 20, 2013
Last Update Posted
: August 21, 2014
|
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Following the decline of malaria in Sub-Saharan Africa, clinicians face febrile patients in whom an alternative diagnosis has to be made. This situation has led to an overuse of antibiotics by clinicians. It is crucial to increase knowledge on etiologies and risk factors of outpatient febrile illness in order to improve their management.
This present proposal aims to investigate the etiologies of fever among adult patients attending an outpatient department in urban Tanzania. It also aims to assess the clinical significance of nasopharyngeal (NP) respiratory viruses and bacteria documentation in this setting. Third, it aims to compare the spectrum of infections in this population with that of children included in the same setting in a previous study. The last objective is to assess diabetes mellitus (DM) as a risk factor for infection and exposure to indoor air pollution (IAP) as a risk factor for acute respiratory infections (ARI) in adults in Tanzania.
The investigators hypothesize that acute respiratory infections are the main cause of adult febrile illness in a urban low-income setting and that use of quantitative molecular assays on naso-oropharyngeal samples can improve the diagnosis of pneumonia. The investigators also think that the spectrum of infections is different between children and adults, mainly due to a high HIV prevalence in adults. The investigators also hypothesize that experiencing IAP and/ or DM is a risk factor for infections in adults.
Condition or disease |
---|
Acute Febrile Illnesses |
Study Type : | Observational [Patient Registry] |
Actual Enrollment : | 538 participants |
Observational Model: | Cohort |
Time Perspective: | Prospective |
Target Follow-Up Duration: | 30 Days |
Official Title: | Etiologies of Acute Febrile Illness Among Adults Attending an Outpatient Department in Dar es Salaam |
Study Start Date : | July 2013 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | July 2014 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | July 2014 |

Group/Cohort |
---|
Adults with fever
Every adult with fever will be screened for different infectious diseases and for nasopharyngeal respiratory viruses and bacteria
|
Healthy volonteers
For every adult with fever included with a diagnosis of pneumonia, a healthy volunteer will be included. These healthy volunteers will be screened for nasopharyngeal respiratory viruses and bacteria.
|
- Proportion of patients with each disease among all febrile patients, overall and stratified by HIV status [ Time Frame: 1 year ]Description of the distribution of causes of fever based on pre-defined case definitions for each disease.
- Proportion of febrile patients with acute respiratory infection infected with a certain respiratory pathogen, compared to the proportion of healthy controls infected with the same pathogen. [ Time Frame: 1 year ]Nasopharyngeal respiratory viruses and bacteria documentation (presence/absence as well as pathogen loads) will be compared between patients with acute respiratory infection and a control group of healthy volunteers
- Strength of association between each febrile disease and diabetes mellitus and between acute respiratory infections and indoor air pollution [ Time Frame: 1 year ]Screening of diabetes mellitus and screening of exposure to indoor air pollution will be performed among patients with fever. The strength of association between diabetes and each type of febrile disease and exposure to indoor air pollution and acute respiratory infections will be measured.
Biospecimen Retention: Samples With DNA

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Senior) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Sampling Method: | Probability Sample |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Temperature >=38°C
- History of fever for less than 8 days
- First consultation for the present problem
Exclusion Criteria:
- Refusal of HIV screening
- Main complaint is injury or trauma
- Antibiotic treatment in the last 7 days
- Within 6 weeks after delivery
- Hospitalization during the last month

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01947075
Tanzania | |
Mwananyamala Hospital | |
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania |
Principal Investigator: | Valerie D'Acremont, MD PhD | Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute |
Responsible Party: | Valérie D'Acremont, Investigator, Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT01947075 History of Changes |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
Fever Study Adult Fever Study ( Other Identifier: SwissTPH ) |
First Posted: | September 20, 2013 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | August 21, 2014 |
Last Verified: | August 2014 |
Keywords provided by Valérie D'Acremont, Swiss Tropical & Public Health Institute:
Fever Tanzania Pneumonia |
HIV Diabetes Indoor Air Pollution |
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Fever Body Temperature Changes Signs and Symptoms |