Antimicrobial susceptibility of Salmonella Typhi in India

BACKGROUND: Typhoid fever continues to remain a major public health problem, especially in regions such as Gulbarga, due to poor sanitation and personal hygiene. Gulbarga region is often prone to enteric fever outbreaks and is an endemic region of typhoid fever. Enteric fever caused by Salmonella Typhi has not been adequately explored in this region. METHODOLOGY: A total of 95 isolates of S. Typhi collected from different clinical and environmental sources were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility according to the CLSI guidelines. MIC of resistant isolates to various antibiotics was performed by agar dilution method. RESULTS: Of the total isolates studied, 10% were found to be multidrug resistant (MDR) (defined as resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol and co-trimoxazole). There was a decrease in the susceptibility to ciprofloxacin of S. Typhi with MIC showing an upward trend (0.125-4 microg/mL). Concurrently, there has been an increase in the number of isolates sensitive to all antibiotics except nalidixic acid. CONCLUSION: MDR S. Typhi continues to be an important public health issue in Gulbarga. Presence of quinolone resistance and associated low-level ciprofloxacin resistance is a concern and requires further study.