Antimicrobial Susceptibility and Distribution of Non-typhoidal Salmonella Serovars Isolated in Malaysian Children

Abstract

There is widespread resistance of Salmonella species to commonly prescribed antimicrobials the world over. We aimed to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility and serovar distribution of non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) isolated from blood cultures of Malaysian children. Positive isolates of NTS from blood cultures obtained from children admitted to the pediatric wards of University of Malaya Medical Center (UMMC), a large urban hospital from Kuala Lumpur (1991-2001), and Hospital Kota Bharu (HKB), from the predominantly rural state of Kelantan (1991-1999), Malaysia, were reviewed retrospectively. Serovar distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility were ascertained. A total of 64 and 55 isolates of NTS were obtained from blood cultures of children admitted to UMMC and HKB, respectively. The commonest serovar isolated was Salmonella enteritidis in both centers. The NTS isolated were highly sensitive to the antimicrobials tested: ampicillin 98 per cent, chloramphenicol 98 per cent, gentamicin 97 per cent, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) 98 per cent, and ceftriaxone 100 per cent in UMMC; ampicillin 100 per cent, chloramphenicol 87 per cent, kanamycin 100 per cent, streptomycin 96 per cent, TMP-SMX 93 per cent, and tetracycline 89 per cent in HKB. There were only one and five multi-resistant isolates in UMMC and HKB, respectively. In conclusion, NTS isolated from blood cultures of Malaysian children from Kuala Lumpur and Kota Bharu were highly sensitive to commonly prescribed antibiotics. We speculate that this is due to the restriction of sales of antimicrobials in Malaysia except by prescription. Continuing vigilance and frequent antmicrobial surveillance is necessary.

Invasive Salmonella infections among children in Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo: a 6-year retrospective review

“…No Salmonella Typhimurium iNTS infections were noted in Bintulu. Similarly, very few Salmonella Typhimurium iNTS cases were found in previous studies in Peninsular Malaysia [22, 23]. The reasons for this geographical variation in serovar distribution are not known, and further epidemiological studies are required.…”

“…In Africa, Salmonella Enteritidis has been implicated in around 20% of iNTS cases, including 36% of childhood cases in Mali [5, 21]. Similarly, in Asia, Salmonella Enteritidis was identified in > 40% of iNTS cases in Vietnam and Peninsular Malaysia, confirming the global distribution and importance of this serovar in causing invasive disease [20, 22]. This is in contrast to the distribution of Salmonella Typhimurium, the other major serovar implicated in iNTS infections, responsible for almost 70% of cases in Africa [5].…”

Prevalence of Salmonella and Escherichia coli O157 from Acute Diarrheic Children in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam

“…In Vietnam, Bui, et al 2) reported that Salmonella was isolated from 3.6％ ( 31) also reported that retail meats and shrimps purchased from the wet markets in the Mekong Delta As Salmonella serovars isolated in this study were in common to those previous study, Salmonella infected to children in the Mekong Delta may be originated from animals, foods and environment. S. Enteritidis is the most common serovar isolated from human patients in Asian countries such as Japan 6,11,19) , Malaysia 12,15) , Singapore 16) . However, this serovar was not isolated in the present study.…”

Determination of the Optimum Time for Preparation of Half-Boiled Eggs Free from Salmonella Enterica Enteritidis

“…However, in Malaysia, 30% of Salmonella cases, last reported in 1995, were due to S. Enteritidis [2]. A retrospective study on Salmonella cases from 1991 to 2001 in University Malaya Medical Centre and Kota Bharu Hospital involving children also revealed S. Enteritidis to be the most common serotype isolated [3].…”