Antibiotic sensitivity of enteropathogenic bacteria isolated from patients in a Sharjah hospital

Abstract

SUMMARYIn recent years widespread circulation of salmonella and shigella strains resistantto multiple antibiotics has become an international problem. Accordingly the bacterial sensitivity to a range of antibiotics has been assessedin vitroand recorded for the period 1979–83 for patients from the Al Qassimi Hospital. A total of 229 enteric pathogens from 148 children and 59 adult patients were isolated and studied. Most of the enterobacteria were sensitive to colistin, gentamicin, trimethoprim and chloramphenicol (Salmonella typhiapproached 100% sensitivity). High rates of sensitivity were also found to ampicillin inS. typhi(96%) and other salmonella serotypes (85%), whilst only 57% ofShigellaspecies and 14% ofEscherichia coliwere sensitive to this antibiotic. Low rates of sensitivity to sulphamethoxazole, streptomycin and tetracycline were found in shigella andE. coli(ranging from 7 to 14%). Approximately 50% ofS. typhiand other salmonella serotypes were sensitive to sulphamethoxazole and streptomycin and 80% to tetracycline. Resistance to three or more antibiotics was very common in shigella and enteropathogenic strains ofE. coli(74–85%), less common in non-typhoid salmonella (29%) and exceptional inS. typhistrains. In general, shigella andE. coliisolates showed a high rate of resistance to several antibiotics, whilstS. typhiand other salmonella serotypes retained their original sensitivity to most of the antibiotics used in clinical practice.