Prevalence of Concomitant Bacteria among malaria Patients attending Government Hospitals in Ondo State, South-West Nigeria

Background:Patients suffering from severe malaria have an increased risk of co-occurring bacterial sepsis, which results in higher mortality rates than malaria alone. Concomitant bacterial infections can worsen malaria symptoms, leading to increased illness and death rates. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between malaria and concomitant bacteremia among patients in Ondo State, Nigeria.Aim: The study's objective was to determine the prevalence of bacterial concomitant among malaria patients and assess the relationship between malaria and bacteremia in the study population.Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among feverish individuals in certain Ondo State government hospitals. One milliliter of blood was collected from malaria-positive patients, confirmed using microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained thick and thin blood films, and an Malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) kit was cultured for bacterial enumeration. The collected data were statistically analyzed using Chi-square and correlation tests, with a 𝑃value <0.05 considered significant.Result: The study found a concomitant bacteria prevalence of 19.95% (85/426), with a significant (P= <0.001, r = 0.00334) positive correlation between malaria and bacterial concomitant.Age was significantly (p = 0.072, df= 18, χ2 = 27.389) associated with bacterial concomitant, and the mean bacterial count was 9.71±1.481 cfu/ml x 107. Furthermore, level of education, marital status and tribe also significantly (p<0.05) contributed to the prevalence of concomitant bacteria.Conclusion: Our research concludes that malaria may increase the risk of bacteremia, and a significant association between malaria and concomitant bacterial infection exists. However, the reasons for bacteria's abilityto invade and thrive in the bloodstream vary. The study's findings suggest that interventions are needed to address the high prevalence of concomitant bacterial infections among malaria patients in the study area.