Antibiotic resistance among Shigella species isolated in Tehran, Iran.

A study of adult patients with gastroenteritis was carried out over an 18-month period from March 1984 until August 1985, with the aim of detecting Shigella species and studying their antibiotic resistance pattern. Two thousand four hundred and eighteen stool specimens were examined and 230 isolations of Shigella were made, a detection rate of 9.5%. Of the 230 isolates, 61.2% were found to be Sh. flexneri, and resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, co-trimoxazole and tetracycline was extremely high, varying from 47% of isolates for chloramphenicol to 77% for tetracycline. Resistance to nalidixic acid was not encountered. In view of the fact that this disorder tends to be a self-limiting condition in Iran, it is advisable to be selective and cautious in the use of antibiotics for treatment.