title: Helicobacter pylori isolates recovered from gastric biopsies of patients with gastro-duodenal pathologies in Cameroon: current status of antibiogram.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori in patients with gastro-duodenal pathologies and the susceptibility patterns of isolates to the currently recommended antibiotic treatment regimen used in Cameroon.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive dyspeptic patients referred to Douala General Hospital, Cameroon for endoscopy were recruited in the study. Gastric biopsies were collected from the patients and H. pylori isolated and identified following standard microbiology and biochemical techniques. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined by disk diffusion and agar dilution methods against clarithromycin, tetracycline, amoxicillin and metronidazole. Data were analysed using chi-square test and significance considered at P < 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seventy-one (92.2%) of the 77 patients (mean age 44.5 +/- 15.7, range 15-77 years) were positive for H. pylori. The antibiotic susceptibility rates were 56% for tetracycline, 55.3% for clarithromycin, 14.4% for amoxicillin and 6.8% for metronidazole. The prevalence of clarithromycin resistance in males vs. females was 42.1%vs. 46.7%, while for metronidazole it was 89.5%vs. 94.7% (P > 0.05). Antimicrobial susceptibility results also revealed 12 antibiotypes based on resistance to the antimicrobial agents investigated. The resistance pattern, amoxicillin and metronidazole (AMR(R) MET(R)) was the most common (23.7%) amongst the isolates. More than 60% of the isolates exhibited multi-drug resistance to three or four antibiotics.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multi-drug resistance is common against the current treatment regimen in Cameroon and, therefore, calls for urgent studies involving newer and broad spectrum antibiotics to address the problem.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea, Cameroon. rndip@ufh.ac.za
authors.forename: Roland N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Ndip
authors.forename: Alertia E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Malange Takang
authors.forename: Juliet E A
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Ojongokpoko
authors.forename: Henry N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Luma
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malongue
authors.forename: Jane-Francis T K
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Akoachere
authors.forename: Lucy M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Ndip
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: MacMillan
authors.forename: Lawrence T
authors.initials: LT
authors.lastname: Weaver
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000658:Amoxicillin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001706:Biopsy; D002163:Cameroon; D017291:Clarithromycin / Q000494:pharmacology; D024901:Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008875:Middle Aged; D011706:Pyloric Antrum / Q000382:microbiology; D012737:Sex Factors; D013270:Stomach / Q000382:microbiology; D013752:Tetracycline
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D008795:Metronidazole; D000658:Amoxicillin; D013752:Tetracycline; D017291:Clarithromycin