Table 1 Characteristics of children with confirmed serious bacterial infection (SBI), those with no detectable bacterial infection (NBI) and controls
|  | SBI (n = 280) | NBI (n = 97) | Controls (n = 15) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Age (years), median(IQR) | 2.0 (0.6 – 6.9) | 2.5 (1.0 – 5.7) | 10.0 (6.0-13.0) | <0.0005 |
Males | 154 (55%) | 61 (63%) | 13/21 (62%) | <0.0005 |
Duration of symptoms (days), median(IQR) | 3 (2 – 5) | 3 (2 – 5) | NR | 0.76 |
Previous antibiotics (%) | 123 (44%) | 37 (38%) | NR | 0.32 |
Meningitis (%) | 235 (84%) | 47 (49%) | NR | <0.0005 |
Mortality (%) | 68 (24%) | 15 (15%) | NR | 0.02 |
HIV-infected (%) | 145 (52%) | 45 (47%) | 0 (0%) | <0.0005 |
Height for age Z score < − 3 (%) | 42/272 (15%) | 16/91 (18%) | ND | 0.63 |
Weight for height Z score < − 3 (%) | 37/218 (17%) | 11/82 (13%) | ND | 0.45 |
White cell count (WCC) x10 9 /l median(IQR) | 12.6 (7.8 – 20.0) | 13.8 (10.0 – 20.4) | ND | 0.09 |
Neutrophil count x10 9 /l median(IQR) | 10.6 (4.6 – 16.3) | 8.9 (5.5 – 15.5) | ND | 0.78 |