Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Patterns of Salmonella Species, Shigella Species and Escherichia coli among Children Suffering from Diarrhoea in Unguja - Zanzibar, Tanzania

Aims: This study aimed at providing evidence of the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns towards Salmonella spp., Shigella spp. and Escherichia coli among under-five children in Unguja – Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Study Design: Cross sectional design was used to collect samples from stool of children suffering from diarrhoea.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in Zanzibar west urban region between October, 2019 to February, 2020.

Methodology: A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2019 to February 2020. Random samples were collected to investigate the prevalence of Salmonella spp., Shigella spp. and Escherichia coli. The samples were cultured using Hektoen Enteric (HE) and Salmonella-Shigella agar. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was done by Kirby–Bauer disc diffusion method.

Results: A total of 159 stool samples were collected in the study; Salmonella spp. was identified 12/159 times (7.5%) of the total samples. Shigella spp. and E. coli were identified in 7/159 samples (4.4%) and 6/159 (3.7%), respectively. Children between 49 and 60 months showed low prevalence, while a high peak prevalence was reported for children between 7–12 months. All Salmonella spp., Shigella spp. and Escherichia coli species identified were sufficiently susceptible to chloramphenicol and ceftriaxone, with a varying pattern to azithromycin, ciprofloxacin, ampicillin, nalidixic acid and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole.

Conclusion: We found Salmonella spp., Shigella spp. and Escherichia coli isolates in stools of children ≤ 5years from Unguja, Zanzibar, but all the isolates were susceptible to chloramphenicol and ceftriaxone but partially resistant to other tested antibiotics. Identifying resistant bacteria in this age group should be a concern for the public health authorities and trigger research into finding the cause.