[High percentage of antibiotic resistance in Shigella infections in children in Curaçao].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate antimicrobial treatment and resistance in clinical childhood shigellosis.

DESIGN

Retrospective.

SETTING

St. Elisabeth Hospital, Willemstad, Curaçao, Dutch Antilles.

METHOD: From September 1991 through August 1995 shigellosis was diagnosed in 93 children out of 456 hospitalised with gastroenteritis (S. flexneri in 60, S. sonnei in 32, S. dysenteriae in 1). From hospital and laboratory records, the clinical presentation, antibiotic treatment and duration of hospitalization were indexed as well as the antibacterial resistance pattern of shigellae.

RESULTS

Of the hospitalised children 52 (56%) were treated with antibiotics. Ampicillin was given most frequently (71%), followed by the combination trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (25%). Isolated shigellae were resistant to ampicillin in 52% and to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole in 34%; 42% of the antibiotic treatments were in accordance with susceptibility of the isolated Shigella.

CONCLUSION

A high percentage of shigellae isolated on Curaçao was resistant to the most frequently used antibiotics ampicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.