Multi-Drug Resistant Salmonella Typhi among Outpatients in Hospitals within Ilorin and their susceptibility to extracts of Cymbopogon Citratus

Statement of the Problem: Misuse of drugs, medication non-adherence among other factors, has led to the emergence of multi-drug resistant Salmonella typhi, which is a major threat because enteric fever could be fatal if improperly treated.

Theoretical Orientation: A cross-sectional survey was performed on 400 blood samples from out-patients in Children Specialist Hospital, Cottage Hospital, Adewole Specialist Hospital, and Civil Service Hospital, Ilorin over a period of five-month. The susceptibility of Salmonella typhi to antibiotics and plant extract of Cymbopogon citratus were also done.

Findings: Eight Salmonella typhi isolates were recovered from the patients. All the isolates were multi-drug resistant with a notable resistance to chloramphenicol, ampicillin and co-trimoxazole. Molecular confirmation of the isolates showed DNA size of 500 base pairs. The most active extract was the ethanolic extract with MIC exhibited at 12.5mg/ml and MBC 25mg/ml. Phytochemical screening of the plants revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, saponins, steroids and glycosides that may be responsible for their antibacterial actions.

Conclusion & Significance: The plant can be used to develop new drugs. The occurrence of typhoid fever is a major threat to the general public, antimicrobial resistance surveillance is recommendable for early detection of typhoid fever.

Published Date: 2020-10-10;