Antimicrobial Resistance in Shigella Species Isolated in Dakar, Senegal (2004 - 2006)

SUMMARY : From May 2004 to October 2006, a prospective study was carried out in Dakar, Senegal, to updateinformation about the antimicrobial susceptibility of Shigella spp. isolated from stool specimens. Among the165 non-duplicate strains collected, 81 (49%) were identified as Shigella flexneri , 75 (45%) as Shigella sonnei ,5 (3%) as Shigella boydii , and 4 (2%) as Shigella dysenteriae . Disk diffusion testing revealed that the majority ofisolates were resistant to sulphonamides, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, streptomycin, and tetracycline (respec-tive overall resistance rates: 90, 90, 96, and 94%). More than half of the S . flexneri isolates were resistant toamoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid, and chloramphenicol (respective resistance rates: 59, 58, and 52%),and almost all of the S . sonnei isolates were susceptible to these antimicrobials (respective resistance rates: 4, 1,and 4%). Only one isolate (belonging to the species S . sonnei ) was resistant to nalidixic acid and displayedreduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin.Jpn. J. Infect. Dis., 61, 307-309, 2008