[Salmonellosis in a maternity-children's hospital in Barcelona over a 10-year period (1992-2001)].
BACKGROUND
We performed a retrospective study of Salmonella spp. strains, as well as of serotypes and resistance to antimicrobial agents that could be useful in salmonellosis requiring antibiotic treatment.


METHODS
All Salmonella strains isolated in a maternity-children's hospital in Barcelona (Spain) during a 10-year period (1992-2001) were serotyped. The susceptibility of the strains isolated from 1994 to ampicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and cefotaxime was analyzed. Ciprofloxacin substituted chloramphenicol in the analysis of strains isolated during the last 2 years of the study period.


CONCLUSIONS
A total of 860 isolates from 31 distinct serotypes were analyzed. The most frequent serotypes were S. enteritidis (48.7 %), S. typhimurium (33.4 %), S. virchow (5 %), S. hadar (1.8 %) and S. typhi (1.5 %). We found a high percentage of strains resistant to ampicillin (44.6 % in 2001) and chloramphenicol (28.7 % in 1999) and a lower percentage of strains resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (2.2 % and 6.5 % respectively, among the strains isolated in 2001). Only one cefotaxime-resistant strain was found, and all isolates were susceptible to ciprofloxacin. Our results provide useful epidemiological information for the control of these infections, which remain a serious public health problem all over the world.
Juncosa Morros
T
T
Servicio de Microbiología, Hospital Universitario Sant Joan de Déu, Barcelona, España. tjuncosa@hsjdbcn.org
Palacín Camacho
E
E
Latorre Otín
C
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006771:Hospitals, Maternity; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012480:Salmonella Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D012703:Serotyping / Q000379:methods; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents