Profile of Enteric Fever in Children Admitted to a Tertiary Care Center in North India

Abstract

Background Enteric fever is a community-acquired systemic infection which is more common in resource-limited overcrowded communities with poor access to sanitation and its management is compounded by the increasing antimicrobial resistance to the first-line antibiotics used. Materials and Methods This descriptive study reports the clinical profile of children with enteric fever managed at the departments of pediatrics and microbiology of a tertiary care hospital from February 2020 to August 2021. All inpatients who were confirmed (blood culture positive) or probable cases (clinical and serological evidence by Widal test) of enteric fever were included. Profile of all cases and antibiotic sensitivity pattern in culture positive cases were studied. Results Of the 70 cases enrolled, 40% were females and 60% males, and majority (52.9%) was in the age group of > 5 years. At admission, fever was the most common presentation along with abdominal symptoms. Widal test was positive in 84.6% cases and was found to be 80% sensitive when compared to the gold-standard blood culture. Both Salmonella Typhi (74.3%) and S. Paratyphi (12.9%) isolates were 100% sensitive to azithromycin, cotrimoxazole, and ceftriaxone. Quinolones and second-generation cephalosporin cefuroxime showed high resistance in comparison. None of the isolates was multidrug resistant. All cases were discharged after successful treatment. Conclusion The burden of disease and antibiotic susceptibility of enteric fever needs to be monitored to guide clinicians in selection of antibiotics.