Battling the Invisible Threat: Unraveling the Link between Acute Respiratory Bacterial Infections and Malnutrition in Children under Five

Objectives: This study determined the percent positivity of acute respiratory bacterial infections and their association with malnutrition in children under 5. Acute respiratory infections (ARIs) cause 6% of all diseases worldwide, with bacterial pneumonia being the leading cause of child mortality. Malnutrition accounts for 56% of childhood mortality worldwide, when combined with ARIs. Materials and Methods: This study included 185 hospitalized children under 5 diagnosed with ARIs. The nasal swabs were collected for bacterial isolation and analyzed using nutrient and blood agar and by Gram’s staining. The bacterial pathogens were purified on Mannitol salt agar, chocolate agar, and MacConkey agar and identified using specific biochemical tests. Children’s height and weight were compared with standards to assess their nutritional status. The data were statistically analyzed for percent positivity and Chi-square test. Results: The positive samples were collected from Allied Hospital (38.3%), Children Hospital (9.1%), and Faisal Hospital (11.8%). ARIs were categorized as mild pneumonia (35), moderate pneumonia (28), severe pneumonia (19), and no pneumonia/cold and cough (103). Among isolated bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus was the most prevalent bacterial species (23.2%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (21.6%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (7.57%), and Streptococcus pneumoniae (7.02%). Children with 24% stunted, 19% wasted, 23% underweight, and 34% having normal nutritional status were observed. Chi-square test ( P = 0.007) showed significant results. Conclusion: It was concluded that there is a positive correlation between malnutrition and acute respiratory bacterial infections, as 66% of malnourished children were observed suffering from ARIs.