title: Prevalence and characterization ofSalmonellaamong humans in Ghana.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) is a public health problem worldwide and particularly in Africa with high disease burden. This study characterizedSalmonellaisolates from humans in Ghana to determine serovar distribution, phage types, and antimicrobial resistance. Further, the clonal relatedness among isolates was determined.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and thirty-sevenSalmonellaisolates (111 clinical and 26 public toilet) were characterized using standard serotyping, phage typing, and antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods. The molecular epidemiology of common serovars (SalmonellaTyphimurium andSalmonellaEnteritidis) was established by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty-two serovars were identified withS. Enteritidis,S. Typhimurium, andSalmonellaDerby as the most dominant. One hundred and twelve isolates showed resistance to more than one antimicrobial. Fifty-eight (n= 58/112; 54.5%) strains were multi-resistant with low resistance to cephalosporins ceftazidime (8.0%), cefotaxime (4.5%), and cefoxitin (2.7%) with synergy to clavulanic acid indicating possible ESBLs. Isolates showed high resistance to trimethoprim (66.1%), tetracycline (61.6%), ampicillin (57.1%), sulfamethoxazole (46.4%), chloramphenicol (33.9%), and ciprofloxacin (25.0%). The most common resistance pattern of multi-resistant serovars was to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, sulphonamide, and trimethoprim.S. Enteritidis (18/43) strains reacted with typing phages but did not conform to any phage type with PT14B and PT4 as predominant definitive phage types. SixS. Typhimurium strains reacted but did not conform to any recognized phage type while seven were non-typable. The predominant definitive phage types were DT1 and DT22. PFGE patterns of humanS. Enteritidis were closely related to patterns of poultry isolates obtained in a previous study in Ghana.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cephalosporin resistance is uncommon amongSalmonellafrom humans in Ghana. Poultry may be an important source of human salmonellosis. There is an urgent need for the implementation of routine surveillance of antimicrobial use and bacterial resistance among humans in Ghana.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Stigboejlen 4, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.|Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: Linda Aurelia
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Andoh
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Stigboejlen 4, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Shabana
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Stigboejlen 4, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
authors.forename: John Elmerdahl
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
authors.forename: Kwasi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Obiri-Danso
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Mercy Jemima
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, University of Ghana Medical School, Korle-Bu, Accra, Ghana.
authors.forename: Japheth Awuletey
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Opintan
authors.affiliation: OIE, National Reference Laboratory for Salmonellosis, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Venezie, Legnaro Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barco
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Disease Biology, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Stigboejlen 4, 1870 Frederiksberg C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dalsgaard
keywords: Antibiotic resistance; Ghana; Phage types; Salmonella; Serotypes