MULTIDRUG RESISTANT SALMONELLA ENTERICA SEROVAR TYPHI ISOLATED FROM THE PATIENTS ATTENDING TERTIARY CARE CENTRE IN THE SUBURBS OF INDORE, CENTRAL INDIA.

Abstract

Background: Typhoid fever is one of the most common bacterial diseases in India. Carriers are the
primary cause of typhoid. A person may hold the typhoid germ asymptomatically for days to years
without showing any signs or symptoms of typhoid fever. The typhoid bacillus continues to multiply in
the gall bladder of such carriers. The bile duct transports it to the intestine. The silent carriers are the
source of typhoid germs that cause infections to recur. With over 21.6 million cases and at least 250,000
deaths per year, it remains a global public health problem. Asia accounts for almost 80% of cases and
deaths, with Africa and Latin America accounting for the remainder. The disease has an incidence
ranging from 102 to 2,219 per 100,000 of the population in developing countries like India. Methods:
The present study was conducted at Department of Microbiology, Index Medical college hospital &
Research centre, Indore. Ethical clearance was obtained. The period of study was 3 years and the study
population consisted of 140 patients of different age groups attending outpatient department and the
patients admitted in different wards. Blood samples were collected from the study subjects and
antimicrobial susceptibility testing against Cephotaxime, Chloramphenicol, Ceftazidime, Ciprofloxacin,
Tetracycline, Ampicillin, Streptomycin, Gentamicin, Kanamycin, Nalidixixc acid, Trimethoprim was
estimated using disc diffusion method. Results: Gentamicin, Chloramphenicol, Ampicillin, and
Trimethoprim were found to be effective against 100 percent of the strains, followed by Ceftazidime
and Ciprofloxacin. Nalidixic acid resistance was found in 93.75 percent of the strains, followed by
Chloramphenicol, Ampicillin, Streptomycin, and Trimethoprim resistance in 4.69 percent of the isolates
for each antibiotic. Conclusion: The study found that Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi has a high
prevalence of Nalidixic acid tolerance (94.5%), which is higher than other research from around the
world. During the research, the resistance to commonly used antibiotics (chloramphenicol, ampicillin,
and trimethoprim) resurfaced.