Effectiveness of Oral Antibiotics in the Treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition

Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial to Evaluate the Effectiveness of Oral Antibiotics in the Community-based Treatment of Severe Acute Malnutrition in Malawian Children

The need for oral antibiotics as part of the case management of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in the outpatient setting has not been studied in a prospective trial. This study will compare the recovery rates of children with SAM treated at home with locally-produced ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) with and without prescribed antibiotics as part of their outpatient case management. The investigators hypothesize that there will be no significant difference in rates of recovery between children who receive and children who do not receive antibiotics.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 6 months - 5 years old
• Kwashiorkor or Marasmus
• Qualifies for home-based therapeutic feeding with RUTF

Exclusion Criteria:

• Obvious congenital or other malformation that makes child a poor candidate for home-based feeding with RUTF
• Unable to consume test-dose of RUTF in clinic
• Parent refusal to participate and return for follow-up