article · African Journal of Clinical and Experimental Microbiology
Multi-drug resistant Salmonella Typhi presents a substantial barrier to treating typhoid fever with standard antibiotics, particularly in settings where routine surveillance is uncommon. An assessment of 122 multi-drug resistant isolates collected across nine secondary healthcare facilities in northcentral Nigeria examined the occurrence of plasmid DNA and specific resistance genes. Laboratory analysis revealed that 18 isolates contained plasmids. Polymerase chain reaction testing identified the presence of beta-lactamase resistance genes blaSHV in five isolates and blaTEM in three isolates. None of the isolates possessed the blaCTX-M gene associated with extended spectrum beta-lactam resistance or the blaIMP gene conferring carbapenem resistance. These results demonstrate that while strains harbouring certain beta-lactam resistance genes circulate in the district, carbapenem-resistant strains remain rare.
Typhoid fever is increasingly difficult to manage due to antibiotic resistance. Surveillance of resistance genes in community healthcare settings helps clinicians understand which drugs remain effective. Showing that carbapenem resistance is currently rare while certain beta-lactam resistance genes are present provides vital baseline data to guide local prescribing choices and regional public health tracking.
The abstract provides early-stage epidemiological baseline data rather than a commercial product or service. This surveillance information could inform diagnostic developers and public health planners designing targeted molecular screening panels for regional clinics, though any practical diagnostic or therapeutic application remains at an early research stage.
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Background: The emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Salmonella Typhi poses a major challenge in the treatment of typhoid fever using commonly available antibiotics. However, in many rural and semi-urban communities of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), routine surveillance for MDR S. Typhi is scarcely undertaken. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of β-lactamase genes in MDR S. Typhi isolated from patients in nine secondary healthcare facilities in Benue south senatorial district, northcentral Nigeria.Methodology: MDR S. Typhi (n=122) isolated from stool samples of patients initially diagnosed with typhoid fever using the Widal agglutination test in a previous study were used in this study. The isolates were confirmed by standard culture and biochemical identification characteristics. Plasmid DNA was isolated from each MDR isolate and selected β-lactam resistant (blaSHV, blaTEM, and blaCTX-M) and carbapenem resistant (blaIMP) genes were amplified by conventional simplex PCR assay.Results: A total of 18 (14.8%) MDR S. Typhi isolates contained plasmids while on PCR assay, 5 (4.1%) isolates harbored blaSHV and 3 (2.5%) harbored blaTEM, which encodes resistance to β-lactam antibiotics, while none harbored blaIMP, which encodes resistance to carbapenems or blaCTX-M, which encodes resistance to many extended spectrum β-lactam antibiotics.Conclusion: This finding showed that the strains of MDR S. Typhi isolates in the study setting are those that harbored blaSHV and blaTEM, which encode resistance to β-lactam antibiotics while strains that harbor blaIMP are apparently rare. A larger study across the entire region is required to confirm this finding.
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DOI: 10.4314/ajcem.v26i4.10
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