Antimicrobial responses of Yersinia enterocolitica isolates in comparison to other commonly encountered bacteria that causes diarrhoea.
OBJECTIVE
To determine antimicrobial susceptibility and resistance of Yersinia enterocolitica, Shigella, E. coli and Salmonella isolated strains from diarrhoeal out-patients.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI) in Addis Ababa Ethiopia.


METHODS
Fifty one strains of enteric pathogenic bacterial isolates from 205 diarrhoeal out-patient cases.


RESULTS
All fifty one strains of enteric pathogenic bacterial isolates were sensitive to nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, and polymyxin B and 46 strains were resistant to cephalothin. Sensitivity to gentamycin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin and polymyxin B is greater than 90% for the tested strains, while resistance to cephalothin, ampicillin and tetracycline was greater than 50%. All strains of Yersinia enterocolitica were sensitive to carbenicillin, chloramphenicol, gentamycin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, polymyxin B, streptomycin, sulphadiazene and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole. All strains of Yersinia enterocolitica were resistant to ampicillin. All of the 12 strains of Shigella were sensitive to nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, polymyxin B, gentamycin and kanamycin. Ampicillin, carbenicillin, cephalothin, streptomycin sulphadiazene, tetracycline and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole were sensitive against <50% of Shigella isolates. Among the isolates, 91.7% were resistant against tetracycline, 50% against cephlothin, and 75% against each of ampicillin and streptomycin. Totally, ten different patterns of resistance were noted for Shigella spp. All strains of diarrhoeagenic E. coli were sensitive to gentamycin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin and polymyxin B, while 90.9% of them were sensitive to chloramphenicol. Of all these isolates, 81.8% strains were resistant to cephalothin and 63.6% to sulphadiazene. All Salmonella isolates were sensitive to norfloxacin, polymyxin B and nalidixic acid while 21 (95.5%) of strains were sensitive to gentamycin and kanamycin. Resistance level of 86.4% was found against cephalothin, 36.4% for ampicillin and 27.0% to sulphadiazene and to both streptomycin and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole in 22.7% of these strains. Eleven different combinations of resistant patterns were observed for all the Salmonella strains.


CONCLUSIONS
Gentamycin, kanamycin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin and polymyxin B can be effective in the treatment of diarrhoea due to the enteropathogens.
Andualem
B
B
Department of Basic Sciences, Gondar, College of Medical Sciences, P.O Box 196, Gondar, Ethiopia.
Geyid
A
A
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003967:Diarrhea / Q000382:microbiology; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000187:drug effects*; D005002:Ethiopia; D006801:Humans; D012475:Salmonella / Q000187:drug effects*; D012760:Shigella / Q000187:drug effects*; D015008:Yersinia enterocolitica / Q000187:drug effects*
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents