title: Antibiotic susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori isolates in Dakar, Senegal.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Helicobacter pylori is the primary cause of peptic ulcer disease and an etiologic agent in the development of gastric cancer. A high frequency of H. pylori infection has been reported from resource-poor regions. H. pylori infection is curable with regimens of multiple antimicrobial agents. However, antibiotic resistance is a leading cause of treatment failure. In Africa, there are very little data concerning the susceptibility of H. pylori isolates to antibiotics.
  
  
  METHODS
  H. pylori isolates from gastric biopsies from outpatients > or = 18 years old affected by a gastro-duodenal ulcer were used in this study. Susceptibility testing was performed for amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin and metronidazole by using the Epsilometer test (E-test) method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  H. pylori strains were isolated from 40 patients of whom 36 were diagnosed as having duodenal ulcer, two with gastric ulcer, and two with gastro-duodenal ulcer. Thirty-six (90%) of the isolates were resistant to metronidazole (MICs > or = 8 microg/l), whereas all isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin (MICs < or = 0.5 microg/ml) and ciprofloxacin (MICs < or = 1 microg/ml).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that metronidazole should not be used therapeutically among Senegalese patients in first-line therapy, while ciprofloxacin could be recommended in association with amoxicillin and a proton pump inhibitor in Senegal.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Médicale, Institut Pasteur, Dakar, Senegal. seck@pasteur.sn
authors.forename: Abdoulaye
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Seck
authors.forename: Mouhamadou
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mbengue
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gassama-Sow
authors.forename: Lamine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Diouf
authors.forename: Mouhamadou Mourtalla
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ka
authors.forename: Cheikh Saad-Bouh
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Boye
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000658:Amoxicillin / Q000494:pharmacology; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002939:Ciprofloxacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004381:Duodenal Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D016480:Helicobacter pylori / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000494:pharmacology; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D012675:Senegal / Q000453:epidemiology; D013276:Stomach Ulcer / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D008795:Metronidazole; D002939:Ciprofloxacin; D000658:Amoxicillin