Prevalence of multi-drug resistant salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium-associated diarrhea in a sample of iraqi hospitalized children

The investigation aimed to determine the prevalence of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) in hospitalized diarrheal children, together with its multi-drug resistance (MDR) status. A total sample of 128 patients (76 males and 52 females) was enrolled in the study. They were hospitalized children due to diarrhea and fever, and admitted to the Central Pediatric Hospital in Baghdad during the period April - September, 2012. Their ages had a range of six days and up to five years. S. Typhimurium was isolated and identified from nine stool samples (7.03%), which were belong to nine children. All isolates were resistant to nalidixic acid, with the exception of isolate 1.11, which showed intermediate sensitivity. Only isolate B was resistant to three antibiotics, which were ampicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and nalidixic acid. These results demonstrate that S. Typhimurium is an important causative pathogen of diarrhea in children, especially if we consider its MDR.