ABSTRACT

 This study was carried out to investigate the drug resistance pattern of Salmonella spp. from the stool samples of patients diagnosed of typhoid fever. Faecal specimens were collected using sterile plastic bottles from different hospitals within Umuahia and taken to the MOUAU Microbiology laboratory for analyses. A total of seven (7) strains of Salmonella isolates which were obtained and identified using morphological characteristics, pigmentation on media, microscopy, and biochemical and sugar fermentation methods. This reveals the major Salmonella isolates to belong to Salmonella species were Salmonella typhi, Salmonella paratyphi A, and Salmonella paratyphi B. The percentage occurrence of the Salmonella isolates revealed that Salmonella typhi was the most frequently occurring isolates with a high percentage occurrence of (57.0%) followed by Salmonella paratyphi A with a percentage occurrence of (29.0%), whereas Salmonella paratyphi B had the least percentage occurrence of (14.0%).The susceptibility test results showed amplicox and erythromycin to be the least effective agent with 0.0% bacterial resistance, followed by septrin and chloramphenicol while the least percentage resistance was observed in ciprofloxacin, ofloxacin augmentin and streptomysin with zones of inhibitions ranging from 14 to 28mg/ml. Antimicrobial susceptibility test results showed that the Salmonella species isolated during this study were highly resistant to ampiclox and erythromycin. Salmonella isolates were highly sensitive to ciprotloxacin, augmentin and streptomycin. Since Salmonella species were resistant to most common drugs, care should be taken in selecting antimicrobials in treating disease caused by them. Moreover, improving environmental and personal hygiene and providing safe potable water and intensive health education together with more careful use of antimicrobials could conserve antimicrobial efficacy and significantly reduce diarrheal illness.