Studies on Enteric Campylobacteriosis in Tikur Anbessa Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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Date
1993-08
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Between February 1992 and January 1993 Campylabaeter species were isolated from 86 (13.6%) of 630 patients with diarrhoea at Tikur Anbassa Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In the same study population, shigellae were found in 11.7% and salmonellae in 3.8%. Of the 345 paediatric patients, 72 (20.8%) and 13 (17.1 %) of the 76 controls less than 2 years of age had EPEC in their stools. No Yersinia enteroeolitiea was isolated. Campylobaeter species were found in all age groups, but the majority were isolated from children less than five years of age (68.6%). Only 2 (0.9%) of 220 controls had eampylobaeter in their stools. Of the campylobaeters that were differentiated at species level, C. j ejuni accounted for 82.4% and C. coli for 17.6% of the isolates. Serotyping of each strain was done, according to the methods of Lior, using 16 antisera against heat labile antigens; 89.3% of the C. jejuni and 75% of the C. coli were typeable. Lior serotypes 1, 2, 4. 5. 6 and 7 were the most common among the C. jejuni, while Lior serotypes I and 2 were dominant among the C.eoli isolates. These serotypes accounted for 63.2% of all isolates. More patients (53.1 %) presented for investigation of diarrhoea during the months of April through July but there was no significant difference in the isolation frequency of the enteric pathogens studied throughout the year. Concomitant isolation of Shigella or Salmonella species was achieved in 12 of the Campylobaeter infected patients. In general, eampylobaeter diaIThoea is not a severe disease . The most common symptoms and signs were watery diarrhoea in 82.4%, low grade fever in 78.4% and frequent vomiting in 45.9%. Dehydration ranging from mild to severe was observed in 25.4% of the 55 children with campylobaeter infections. VitI Of the 55 children 67.2% had signs of malnutrition and most of them (47.2%) were underweight. The antibiogram for 85 strains of the campylobacters isolated showed that all strains were sensitive to chloramphenicol, erythromycin, gentamicin, nalidixic acid, norfloxacin, sulphonamide and tetracycline. All of the strains were resistant to cephalothin, while 51 (60.0%) and 50 (58.8%) strains were resistant to ampicillin and trimethoprimsulphamethoxazole,
respectively. This study indicates that campylobacters are an important
cause of diarrhoea both in adults and children in Addis Ababa, and should be considered routinely in the diagnosis of patients with diarrhoea.
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Enteric Campylobacteriosis