Prevalence and Antibiotic Susceptibility Pattern of Salmonella Species Isolated from Patients Attending Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano

Typhoid fever is a disease of public health concern with high morbidity and mortality rates in developing countries like Nigeria. The treatment of typhoid fever is currently hamstrung by the emergence of Salmonella species strains resistant to antibiotics. Emergence of ESBL in MDR Salmonella species brings a new challenge of great concern in the treatment of typhoid. This work was aimed at determining the prevalence and antibiotic susceptibility pattern of Salmonella species isolated from patients attending Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano. A total of 400 stool samples were collected from Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital, Kano and analyzed for Salmonella. The isolates were identified phenotypically based on cultural, microscopic and biochemical characteristics. Antibiotic susceptibility test was conducted using Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method according to CLSI guidelines of 2016. Multi-drug Resistant isolates detected were further screened for ESBL production. The results obtained showed that a total of 14 isolates were identified phenotypically. The antibiotic susceptibility testing of the isolates showed the highest resistance to Ampicillin (57.4%), 50% resistance to Cefotaxime and Ciprofloxacin, with high susceptibility to Azithromycin, Aztreonam and Tazobactam. Higher susceptibility to Azithromycin, Aztreonam and Tazobactam advocates for their use to treat typhoid fever.