Prevalence of multidrug resistance Salmonella species isolated from clinical specimens at University of Gondar comprehensive specialized hospital Northwest Ethiopia: A retrospective study

BackgroundMultidrug resistance Salmonellosis remains an important public health problem globally. The disease is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in developing countries, but there have been limited recent studies about the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and multidrug resistance patterns ofSalmonellaisolates from various clinical specimens.ObjectiveAimed to assess the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and multidrug resistance patterns ofSalmonellaisolates from clinical specimens at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialised Hospital, northwestern Ethiopia.MethodA retrospective hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence, antimicrobial resistance, and multidrug resistance patterns of isolated from all clinical specimens at the University of GondarSalmonellaComprehensive Specialised Hospital from June 1st, 2017 to June 3rd, 2022. A total of 26,154 data points were collected using a checklist of records of laboratory registration. Clinical specimens were collected, inoculated, and incubated for about a week with visual inspection for growth and gram staining. The isolates were grown on MacConkey agar and Xylose Lysine Deoxycholate agar. Pure colonies were identified with a conventional biochemical test, and those unidentified at the species level were further identified by the analytical profile index-20E. Then, antimicrobial susceptibility was determined by the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique. The multidrug resistanceSalmonellaisolates was identified using the criteria set by Magiorakos. Finally, the data was cleaned and checked for completeness and then entered into SPSS version 26 for analysis. Then the results were displayed using tables and figures.ResultsOf the total 26,154Salmonellasuspected clinical samples, 41 (0.16%)Salmonellaspecies were isolated. Most of theSalmonellaisolates, 19 (46.3%), were in the age group of less than 18 years, followed by the age group of 19–44 years, 11 (26.8%). In this study,S.enterica subsp.arizonaeaccounts for the highest 21 (51%), followed byS.paratyphiA 9 (22%). Of the Salmonella isolates,S.typhiwere highly resistant to ampicillin (100%), followed by tetracycline and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, each accounting for 83.3%. Furthermore,S.paratyphiA was resistant to ampicillin (100%), tetracycline (88.9%), and chloramphenicol (88.9%). The overall multi-drug resistance prevalence was 22 (53.7%; 95% CI: 39.7–61). Accordingly,S.paratyphiA was 100% multidrug-resistant, followed byS.typhi(66.6%).ConclusionA low prevalence ofSalmonellaspecies was observed in the past six years. Moreover, mostS.typhiandS.paratyphistrains in the study area were found to be resistant to routinely recommended antibiotics like ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone, compared to what was reported earlier. In addition, all isolates ofS.paratyphiA and the majority ofS.typhiwere multidrug resistant. Therefore, health professionals should consider antimicrobial susceptibility tests and use antibiotics with caution for Salmonellosis management.