TITLE:
Evolution of the Incidence of Antibiotic Resistance in Salmonella Strains Isolated at the National Laboratory of Clinical Biology and Public Health, Bangui, Central African Republic from 2019 to 2023
AUTHORS:
Marceline Djeintote, Romaric Lebon Bondom, Ernest Lango-Yaya, Zéphirin-Dalengat Vogbia, Hosni Bazor Saleh, Stéphanie Judith N’Yetobouko, Clotaire Donatien Rafaï, Augustin Balekouzou, Christian Maucler Pamatika, Henri Saint-Calvaire Diemer, Wilfried Sylvain Nambei, Boniface Koffi, Gérard-Gresenguet
KEYWORDS:
Incidence-Resistance-Salmonella-Central African Republic
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Epidemiology,
Vol.15 No.1,
February
12,
2025
ABSTRACT: In sub-Saharan Africa, foodborne Salmonella infections cause around 680,000 deaths per year. The evolutionary aspects of the incidence of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella strains no longer seem to attract much interest in the Central African Republic (CAR), although salmonellosis remains a health problem requiring national and international surveillance. Methodology: The study conducted at the National Laboratory of Clinical Biology and Public Health, Bangui, Central African Republic (LNBCSP) was a retrospective descriptive study. The study duration was five years (January 2019 to December 2023). The study sample consisted of patients who underwent bacteriological testing of stool, blood and urine samples for Salmonella at the LNBCSP in Bangui during this period. Study variables were age, sex, year and bacteriological test results. Statistical tests were used to compare incidences. Relative risks (RR) were calculated to measure the degree of association. Results: From 2019 to 2023, we recorded 353 Salmonella strains, of which 5% were found in blood, 37% in urine and 58% in stool. Patient age ranged from 1 to 86 years, with a mean of 27 ± 22.05 years and a mode of 5 years. Children aged 0 to 14 years (34%) and females (55.81%) predominated. The highest rate of contamination by Salmonella strains was 1.69% in 2022. The overall incidence of salmonellosis was 6.72 in 2019, 7.05 in 2020, 6.91 in 2021, 16.9 in 2022 and 6.26 in 2023 per 1000 samples. Resistance was 30.47% to β_lactam antibiotics, 24.22% to fluroquinolones and 37.97% to Salmonella spp. For Salmonella arizonae strains, resistance was 20.25% to aminoglycosides, 43.67% to chloramphenicol and 7.59% to imipenem. Conclusion: Laboratory-based surveillance of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella strains is needed in both human and veterinary medicine. Another study based on molecular characterization will identify new antibiotic-resistant variants circulating in CAR.