Sensitivity of Salmonella and Shigella to antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents in Sudan.

Antibacterial sensitivity tests were done for 513 salmonellae and 133 shigellae. Salmonella strains were divided into three groups: 336 Salmonella typhi, 134 salmonellae isolated from cases of gastroenteritis and 43 salmonellae isolated from non-human sources. All salmonellae and shigellae were sensitive to chloramphenicol. All salmonellae were sensitive to co-trimoxazole, while shigellae showed 18% of resistance. Salmonella resistance to ampicillin was low compared with a high resistance in shigellae. No resistance to from non-human sources. In analysing the resistance pattern in the 4-year period 1979-1982, it was found that there was a rising resistance to ampicillin and sulphonamides in salmonellae. In contrast there was no significant increase in resistance to tetracycline. Tetracycline resistance was high in cases of salmonellae isolated from gastroenteritis. A comparatively low resistance to streptomycin was detected in Salmonella isolated from non-human sources.