Strengthening Sepsis Surveillance in Rural Tanzania

Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), in collaboration with the University Hospital Basel, is implementing a new surveillance study to better understand sepsis and bloodstream infections (BSIs) in rural Tanzania. The study, which will be known as “SepsisSurv" study is being conducted at St. Francis Regional Referral Hospital in the Kilombero Valley and will run from January to December 2026.

Rationale of the study

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by severe infection and is increasingly difficult to treat due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). In low-resource settings like rural Tanzania, there is limited data on the bacteria causing bloodstream infections and their resistance to commonly used antibiotics. This gap means that treatment guidelines may not always reflect the current reality on the ground

What the study aims to do

The study will track adults admitted with sepsis to the hospital’s Emergency Room and Intermediate Care Unit. Researchers will identify the bacteria causing infections, examine their resistance patterns, and assess whether patients receive appropriate antibiotic treatment. The study will also measure sepsis-related deaths, recovery outcomes, and functional health status up to 30 days after admission

The study will enroll approximately 300 patients. Blood samples will be collected before antibiotics are started, and patients followed during hospitalization and after discharge. Findings from this study will provide much-needed evidence on the burden of sepsis and AMR in rural Tanzania.

The results are expected to inform national treatment guidelines, improve antibiotic use, and strengthen sepsis care. The project also supports IHI’s mission through training healthcare workers, improving service delivery, and generating high-quality research data where evidence is scarce

The project is funded by the University Hospital Basel and is implemented under the leadership of Dr. Samuel Salvatory (PI) and Prof. Maja Weisser (PL) from IHI.