Emergence of multiple-drug resistant salmonellae isolated from neonates in Benghazi-Libya

ABSTRACT

An outbreak of diarrhoeal disease was detected in a Neonatal Nursery Unit, Benghazi-Libya. Salmonella was isolated from 63 out of 118[52.5%] stool samples. All isolates were resistant to co-trimoxazole, choramphenicol. ampicillin, amoxycilin, cephaloridine, gentamicine and kanamycin. As high as 95% of the isolates were also resistant to augmentin, cephamandole, ceftriaxohe and cefotaxime exhibiting multiple resistance patterns. Variable susceptibility patterns were detected for cefoxitin, ceftazidime and aztreonam. However all isolates were sensitive to tetracycline, polymyxin B, imipenem norfloxacin and ofloxacin. The present investigation underlines an alarming situation which could be due to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in developing countries which require stricter control measures both at hospitals and in the community