Table 2 Univariate analysis of predictors of negative research blood slide among PCR positive cases

Demographics;

  •Age > 12 months

34/52 (65.4)

0.18 (0.04 to 0.86)

0.019*

 •Male

29/41 (70.7)

0.72 (0.25 to 2.02)

0.527

 •Very low weight for age

7/11 (63.6)

0.60 (0.15 to 2.33)

0.474

 •Mothers education less than secondary school

48/64 (75.0)

1.50 (0.34 to 6.70)

0.688

 •No mosquito net used

4/5 (80.0)

1.58 (0.17 to 15.19)

1.000

 •Travel outside Dar last 4 weeks

21/30 (70.0)

0.84 (0.28 to 2.50)

0.754

 •Home not in Dar

5/8 (62.5)

0.43 (0.09 to 2.10)

0.365

 •Sickle cell disease

12/18 (66.7)

0.64 (0.20 to 2.01)

0.542

 •Referral from other hospital

14/19 (73.7)

0.98 (0.30 to 3.22)

1.000

Pretreatment:

 •No antibiotics the last 4 weeks

13/21 (61.9)

0.28 (0.09 to 0.94)

0.055

 •No antimalarials the last 4 weeks

20/27 (74.1)

0.98 (0.33 to 2.95)

0.974

Symptoms:

 •Current illness ≤5 days

29/47 (61.7)

0.06 (0.01 to 0.50)

0.001*

 •Convulsions before admission

13/17 (76.5)

1.21 (0.34 to 4.26)

1.000

Clinical findings:

 •Reduced conciousness

18/25 (72.0)

0.90 (0.31 to 2.65)

0.854

 •Tachycardia, for age

22/27 (81.5)

2.12 (0.67 to 6.79)

0.199

 •Tachypnea, for age

31/35 (88.6)

5.39 (1.59 to 18.28)

0.004*

 •Febrile (temp >37.5)

40/56 (71.4)

0.71 (0.20 to 2.50)

0.764

 •Palmar pallor

40/57 (70.2)

0.21 (0.026 to 1.79)

0.163

 •Jaundice

13/15 (86.7)

2.72 (0.56 to 13.30)

0.328

 •Splenomegaly

9/12 (75.0)

1.09 (0.27 to 4.49)

1.000

 •Hepatomegaly

24/33 (72.7)

0.91 (0.33 to 2.56)

0.868

 •Abdominal distention

12/16 (75.0)

1.09 (0.31 to 3.88)

1.000

Laboratory findings:

 •Low Hb (<9.0 g/dl)

43/61 (70.5)

0.37 (0.08 to 1.80)

0.328

 •Platelets <100 x10³per mm³

11/18 (61.1)

0.49 (0.16 to 1.51)

0.233

 •Leucocytosis for age

19/21 (90.5)

4.62 (0.97 to 22.04)

0.040*

Treatment in hospital:

 •No antibiotic treatment in hospital

3/6 (50.0)

0.32 (0.06 to 1.74)

0.183

 •Anti-malarial treatment in hospital

46/66 (69.7)

0.055

 •Blood transfusion given

18/29 (62.1)

0.39 (0.14 to 1.10)

0.071

Results:

 •Blood culture negative

11/15 (73.3)

0.79 (0.11 to 5.49)

1.000

 •routine malaria slide positive

4/21 (19.0)

0.01 (<0.01 to 0.07)

<0.001*

 •high parasitaemia (>10,000 parasites/ μl), routine slide

1/15 (6.7)

0.07 (0.01 to 0.95)

0.053

 •Received diagnosis malaria

28/43 (65.1)

0.33 (0.11 to 1.04)

0.053

 •Length of admission ≤5 days

33/44 (75.0)

1.17 (0.42 to 3.29)

0.760

 •Died in hospital

12/15 (80.0)

1.55 (0.39 to 6.16)

0.746