Prevalence of Multiple Antibiotic Resistance Among Salmonella Isolates from Clinical Samples in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

OBJECTIVES

Antibiotic resistance in clinical isolates is often correlated to poor disease management or prolonged hospitalization. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) Salmonella isolates in clinical samples collected from Dhaka, Bangladesh.

METHODS

We investigated 150 clinical samples for the presence of Salmonella. The Salmonella isolates were tested against 12 antibiotics categorizable into three groups based on action mechanism and nine classes based on chemical structure. The susceptibility patterns were analyzed using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method on Mueller Hinton agar. The isolates were classified as MDR and extensively drug-resistant based on their resistance patterns against different antibiotics.

RESULTS

We used 100 Salmonella isolates for this study. The highest prevalence of resistance was observed against penicillin G (96.0%), cefuroxime (75.0%), and clindamycin (71.0%). The isolates exhibited 33.0% and 43.0% resistance against imipenem and meropenem, respectively. Almost all (98.0%) isolates showed MDR. A quarter of the isolates (23.0%) were resistant to five classes of antibiotics and 18.0% to six classes of antibiotics. Moreover, 20.0% of isolates exhibited extensive drug resistance. Among the cell wall synthesis inhibitors, the highest resistance was observed against penicillin G (31.0%). Resistance rates were in the range 20-30% against protein synthesis inhibitors, clindamycin (29.0%), tetracycline (21.0%), and chloramphenicol (21.0%). Among the Salmonella isolates, 90.0% showed multiple antibiotic resistance index scores of ≥ 0.3, while 65.0% scored ≥ 0.5. The carbapenem group accounted for the maximum sensitivity (62.0%), followed by 60.0% each for gentamicin and norfloxacin.

CONCLUSIONS

The high prevalence of MDR Salmonella isolates in clinical samples from Bangladesh indicates a serious threat to public health. Our findings emphasize the urgent need to control MDR through promoting responsible use of suitable antibiotics and public awareness of the dangers of antibiotic misuse, increasing testing facilities, and promoting genetic research.