Distribution of serogroups and serotypes of multiple drug resistant shigella isolates

ABSTRACT

Background: The distribution of Shigella sero-types is of epidemiological importance and antim-icrobial therapy for shigellosis can prevent poten-tial complications of shigellosis. Studies done fifty years ago in Ghana indicated the predominance of Shigella flexneri.Objectives: To describe the distribution of Shig-ella serogroups and serotypes and their anti-biogram profiles.Study design: A prospective descriptive study.Setting: The Microbiology Department of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.Methods: Consecutive stool specimens from pa-tients with diarrhoea submitted between February 2004 and June 2005 were cultured for Shigella and the isolates typed with commercial anti-sera. The susceptibilities of the isolates were also tested against eleven antimicrobial agents by the disc diffusion method. Minimum inhibitory concentra-tions (MIC) of isolates to ciprofloxacin were also determined by the E-test.Results: Five hundred and ninety four diarrhoea stool specimens yielded 24 Shigella isolates with the following serogroup distribution S. flexneri 70.8