Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology Medknow Publications on behalf of Indian Association of Medical Microbiology ISSN: 0255-0857 EISSN: 1998-3646 Vol. 25, Num. 2, 2007, pp. 173-174

Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology, Vol. 25, No. 2, April-June, 2007, pp. 173-174

Correspondence

Non-typhoid Salmonellosis: Emerging infection in Pune?

V Shahane, V Muley, A Kagal, R Bharadwaj

Department of Microbiology, B. J. Medical College, Pune - 411 001, Maharashtra

Correspondence Address:Department of Microbiology, B. J. Medical College, Pune - 411 001, Maharashtra, India (email: vdshahane@rediffmail.com)

Date of Submission: 20-Sept-2006
Date of Acceptance: 05-Oct-2006

Code Number: mb07052

Dear Editor,

Salmonellosis is an important public health problem all over the world. It has been regarded as a worldwide problem in both man and animals. ^[1] In recent years, non-typhoid Salmonellae (NTS) are gaining eminence, but they are rarely reported in our country.

The present study was a retrospective study in and around Pune to assess the magnitude of non-typhoid Salmonella infections with the antibiotic susceptibility pattern of the organisms.

Over a five-year period (2000-2004), 85 isolates belonging to Salmonella spp. were isolated from clinical samples of patients of Sassoon General Hospital. They were further sent to the National Escherichia and Salmonella Center (NESC), Kasauli, for serotyping and confirmation. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was done by Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method. ^[2]

Of the 85 salmonellae, 65.9% were Salmonella typhi , while 34.1% were non-typhoid salmonellae (NTS). The distribution of non-typhoid salmonellae is shown in the [Table - 1]. Majority of the NTS isolates were obtained from neonates (67.8%) and pediatric patients (14.2%). Blood samples yielded most of the NTS isolates, followed by stool samples and a single cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sample. Human sources, as well as non-human sources like animals, birds, poultry, hospital wards, food supplies, milk, water and sewage, have been implicated in the spread of these NTS infections. ^[3]

Emergence of antimicrobial-resistant Salmonella strains is of great concern worldwide.

Antibiotics for the treatment of NTS infections are important in cases with bacteremia and focal lesions. However, they should be avoided in uncomplicated acute gastroenteritis as their unwarranted use can promote the emergence of drug-resistant strains. ^[4] Our study shows a high percentage of NTS isolates resistant to the commonly used drugs - i.e, 86% resistance was seen with ampicillin; and 72.4% resistance to cefotaxime, chloramphenicol and gentamicin was observed. No resistance was seen with amikacin and ciprofloxacin. Thus, our study highlights the fact that infections due to NTS seem to be an emerging problem in Pune and periodic accurate surveillance of NTS is necessary to portray the ongoing pattern of disease transmission, properties of various serotypes and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern. ^[5]

References

Copyright 2007 - Indian Journal of Medical Microbiology

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