RESUMO
A prospective clinical and microbiological study was conducted in 145 blood culture positive cases of enteric fever below the age of 18 years over a period of eleven months (June 2004 to April 2005). It aimed to study the clinical profile, the relative magnitude of enteric fever in children, especially in those below the age of two years and to determine the current antibiotic sensitivity pattern of Salmonella typhi and S paratyphi. Enteric fever is a significant problem in the preschool years. Sixty-five per cent of cases were in the age group of 2 to 9 years, 27% in 0-5 years and 13% in age group 0-2 years. Ninety-two per cent of the cases were caused by S typhi. Paratyphoid fever is less common (8%), when occurs is caused by S paratyphi A. In-vitro sensitivity, using the Bauer-Kirby agar disc diffusion method, to ceftriaxone was 99%, cefixime-99%, cefotaxime-99%, cefpodoxime-72%, cefoperazone-93%, among quinolones, ciprofloxacin-95%, ofloxacin-83%, norfloxacin-79%. Sensitivity to the originally used antibiotics is reappearing: Ampicillin-87%, amoxicillin-89%, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole-76%, chloramphenicol-86%. Among other drugs, sensitivity to imepenam-100%, azithromycin-49%, aztreonam-65%, amikacin-98%. Nalidixic acid resistance is very high ie, 88%.