Clinical and Antimicrobial Resistance Patterns of Salmonella enterica Serovar Paratyphi A Infections in Pediatric Population.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to analyze the clinical profiles, antibiotic susceptibility patterns and biochemical characteristics of Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi A (SPA) infections in children.

METHODS

A retrospective observational study was conducted on hospitalized pediatric patients (< 18 years) admitted with blood culture-confirmed SPA infection between January 2022 and October 2024. Data on demographics, clinical features, treatment regimens, antibiotic susceptibility and outcomes were extracted from medical records. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS, with P < 0.05 considered significant.

RESULTS

Forty-five cases were included, with a mean (SD) age of 7 (4.3) years. Fever was universal (100%), accompanied by vomiting (46.7%) and abdominal pain (44.4%). Hepatomegaly and splenomegaly were observed in 46.7 and 42.2% of the cases, respectively. Third-generation cephalosporins were the most commonly used antibiotics (95.6%), but resistance to ceftriaxone was significant (31%). Fluoroquinolone resistance was found in 85-100% of the isolates. Trimethoprim + sulfamethoxazole (100%) and chloramphenicol (90.6%) exhibited the highest susceptibilities. Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) and AmpC beta-lactamase production were detected in 35.6% and 26.7% of isolates, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Emerging antimicrobial resistance was observed among pediatric SPA isolates; however, short-term clinical outcomes were favorable, with good response to appropriately tailored antimicrobial therapy.