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The antibiogram pattern and seasonal distribution of Salmonella serotypes were analysed retrospectively over a 6-year period from January 1999 to December 2004. Blood cultures received in the Bacteriology Laboratory were processed by standard procedures and the Salmonella spp. isolates were identified with specific antisera and standard biochemical tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was carried out by a standard disc diffusion method and the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of ciprofloxacin for 332 representative Salmonella isolates was determined by E test. Salmonella Typhi (75.7%) was the predominant serotype among 830 Salmonella spp. isolated during the study period followed by S. Paratyphi A (23.8%). The maximum number of enteric fever cases occurred during April-June (dry season) followed by July-September (monsoon season). There was a decrease in multidrug-resistant (MDR) S. Typhi, but MDR S. Paratyphi A isolates increased. There was also a dramatic increase in nalidixic acid-resistant isolates. All isolates were susceptible to third-generation cephalosporins and ciprofloxacin except one S. Typhi strain which demonstrated high-level ciprofloxacin resistance with a MIC of 16 mug/ml. A knowledge of the seasonal distribution and antibiotic resistance pattern of Salmonella in a particular geographical region is helpful in the delineation of appropriate control measures required for prevention of enteric fever.

This study was carried out on 88 railway related deaths in order to determine the specific pattern and distribution of wounds. Of the 88 victims, 79.5% were males and 20.5% were females. The majority were in the age group of 21-40 years. Most of the victims died as the result of an accident (80.7%). Of the 17 suicide cases, ten deaths occurred during the night. In 71 railway accident deaths, 64.8% of victims were pedestrians; thirty-five victims were illiterate and two had consumed alcohol. Decapitation wounds were more common in suicidal deaths and the head was the body region most commonly involved in railway accidents. Our results indicate that railway related deaths could be prevented by surveillance, education and public awareness.

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