Aeromonas and Plesiomonas species as bacterial agents of diarrhoea in urban and rural areas of Nigeria: antibiogram of isolates.

Two thousand four hundred stool samples comprising 1 200 each from diarrhoeal and non-diarrhoeal (control) cases with 600 of each category from urban and rural areas were screened for the prevalence of Aeromonas and Plesiomonas species in the different groups. Thirty (5 pc) and (14,8 pc) of Aeromonas species and 14 (2,3 pc) and 46 (7,7 pc) of Plesiomonas shigelloides were isolated from urban and rural areas respectively for diarrhoea cases. Only eight (1,3 pc) and 18 (3 pc) of Aeromonas spp. from urban and rural areas respectively and none of P. shigelloides were isolated from controls. Both organisms were more commonly associated with females than males. This may be attributable to the fact that both organisms are environmental water bacteria and in rural areas, because females engage more in domestic activities than males have more frequent contacts with the water sources such as rivers, streams, ponds. Most rural areas lack piped water supply. Diarrhoea due to both organisms was associated with fever and vomiting: mainly watery but mucoid and bloody stools were also noted. Antiobiogram of isolates showed over 70 pc resistance to ampicillin and streptomycin in both rural and urban areas whereas over 90 pc of both organisms were sensitive to nalidixic acid and gentamycin in urban and rural areas. Antibiogram of isolates was independent of age, sex and area of residence. Finally, for cases of infections due to Aeromonas spp. and P. shigelloides, the use of gentamycin, nalidixic acid and nitrofurantoin would be appropriate in both urban and rural areas.