TITLE:
Prevalence and Characterization of Pathogens Responsible for Enteric Fever and Assessment of Their Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern in Bangladesh
AUTHORS:
Saima Mollick, Md. Jabir Hasnain, Md. Saiful Islam, Tumpa Dasgupta
KEYWORDS:
Typhoid, Salmonella, Nalidixic Acid, Ciprofloxacin, Chloramphenicol, Cotrimoxazole
JOURNAL NAME:
Pharmacology & Pharmacy,
Vol.15 No.9,
September
23,
2024
ABSTRACT: In Bangladesh, Enteric fever is a persistent health issue throughout the year, occasionally reaching epidemic levels. The growing antibiotic resistance makes treatment increasingly challenging. Therefore, studying the antibiotic resistance patterns within the population is crucial to ensure a more effective treatment strategy. This study was designed to determine the prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility profile, and factors associated with Salmonella spp. infections among clinically suspected Enteric fever patients in Bangladesh. This study also aimed to investigate whether there has been a re-emergence in the susceptibility of bacterial strains to conventional drugs. Data were collected from February 2024 to July 2024, from patients suspected Enteric fever (fever less than seven days duration) in a Private Diagnostic Center of Bangladesh. A total of 195 blood samples were cultured, where 53.85% came out positive, among which 79.05% Salmonella typhi and 20.95% Salmonella paratyphi A were found. Prevalence of Typhoid fever was observed high among the school-going age group (0 - 15 years) patients. Both these organisms were susceptible to ceftazidime, cefixime, ceftriaxone and cefepime but resistant to nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin. Nalidixic Acid is resistant to all S. paratyphi A and sensitive to few S. typhi. Ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin showed delayed response (36.14% and 22.72% sensitive to S. typhi and S. paratyphi A, respectively) and resistance (63.85% and 77.27% resistant to S. typhi and S. paratyphi A, respectively). In case of S. typhi, the resistance was found against ampicillin (32.53%), chloramphenicol (27.71%), cotrimoxazole (24.09%) and the resistance of S. paratyphi A found against ampicillin (4.54%), chloramphenicol (0%) and cotrimoxazole (0%). This study will provide clinicians with alternative drug options and facilitate the effective treatment of Enteric fever.