Shigella and Salmonella serogroups and their antibiotic susceptibility patterns in Ethiopia.

In this study, the serogroup and susceptibility patterns of Shigella and Salmonella spp. isolated from stool cultures were determined using standard laboratory procedures. Among the 76 Shigella isolates serogroup B (Sh. flexeneri) was the most prevalent species (54.0%) and among the 37 Salmonella strains serogroup B was also the most prevalent (81.1%). Antibiograms of Shigella and Salmonella spp. showed 100% resistance to erythromycin and high resistance rates (> or = 75%) to ampicillin, cephalothin, chloramphenicol and tetracycline. Salmonella spp. also had high resistance to gentamicin, sulphonamide, and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. Shigella were susceptible to gentamicin (100%) and nalidixic acid (97.3%) and Shigella and Salmonella were 100.0% susceptible to norfloxacin.