Concomitant bacteria in the blood of malaria patients in Owerri, southeastern Nigeria.

The presence of concomitant bacteria was assessed in the blood of 125 malaria positive patients and 60 malaria negative controls, resident in Owerri, southeastern Nigeria. Blood samples were cultured in MacConkey, Chocolate and Blood agar, respectively using oxoid signal system after the manufacturer's instructions. Blood cultures of 44 (35.2%) of the 125 malaria positive patients had bacterial growth while none was observed in the blood cultures of malaria negative patients. The bacteria species identified included: Staphylococcus aureus 4 (3.2%), Escherichia coli 3 (2.4%) Salmonella typhi 25 (20%), Klebsiella pneumoniae 10 (2.4%) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa 2 (1.6%). The presence of concomitant bacteria in malaria-positive cases usually results in persistence of malaria-like symptoms after treatment with antimalarials and subsequently taken as resistance of the parasites to the particular drugs in question. The significance of concomitant bacteria in the management of malaria should be given priority.