Background
Multidrug-resistant bacterial enteric pathogens such asSalmonellaandShigellahave the potential to cause significant mortality and represent a major issue facing the global health community. This is particularly concerning in low-and middle-income countries where access to clean water and antimicrobials is limited. We aimed to determine the frequency, antimicrobial resistance, and presence of resistance genes amongSalmonella, Shigella, Vibrio, & Campylobacterrecovered from patients presenting with diarrhea in an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, from 2018 to 2020.
Methodology
Conventional bacteriologic methods were used for bacterial culture and isolation. BD Phoenix M50 technology was used for the identification and speciation of bacteria recovered from stool samples and for determining minimum inhibitory concentrations to both clinically relevant antimicrobials and agents of epidemiologic significance. PCR testing was subsequently performed to identify resistance genes.
Results
The key pathogenic bacteria recovered were:Shigella flexneri (58.3%), Salmonella entericaserovar Typhi (8.3%),Shigella dysenteriae (6.7%), Shigella boydii (6.7%), andShigella sonnei, (6.7%); noCampylobacterorVibriowere isolated. Overall resistance amongShigella spp. andSalmonella spp. was determined to be highest to ampicillin (83%), followed by tetracycline (50%), cotrimoxazole (47%), chloramphenicol (17%), ceftriaxone (7%), gentamycin (5%), meropenem (2%), ciprofloxacin (0%) and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid (2.0%). Resistance genes detected included β-lactamases (blaTEMandblaSHV), aminoglycoside 3-N acetyltransferaseacc(3), sulfonamide resistance genes (sul1,sul2), and tetracycline resistance genestet(A) andtet(B).
Conclusion
Results emphasize the critical need for active and continuous surveillance of pathogenic enteric bacteria to improve patient management and inform the development of empiric therapy guidelines.