ANTIBIOTIC SUSCEPTIBILITY PROFILE OF DIARRHOEAGENIC Escherichia coli PATHOTYPES ISOLATED FROM CHILDREN UNDER FIVE YEARS OF AGE IN KATSINA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a serious public health threat, disproportionately impacting the health and well-being of individuals. Diarrhoea is one of the leading causes of morbidity and remains the second leading cause of death in children younger than five years worldwide. The study was aimed to determine the antibiotic susceptibility profile of diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli pathotypes isolated from children under five years of age in Katsina State, Nigeria. A total of 165 faecal samples were collected from 135 (diarrheic) and 30 (non-diarrheic) children under five years attending Turai Yar’adua Maternity and Children Hospital Katsina (TYMCHK), Mallam Mande General Hospital Dutsin-Ma (MMGHD), General Hospital Mani (GHMN), General Hospital Malumfashi (GHML) and Karfi Primary Health Centre (KPHC), respectively. The samples were collected between October 2021 and June 2022 and screened for diarrhoeagenic E. coli pathotypes using standard procedures, including culture, biochemical test and uniplex conventional PCR. The screened diarrhoeagenic Escherichia coli isolates were further subjected to antibiotic susceptibility tests against a panel of 7 antibiotics using the modified Kirby Bauer disk diffusion method, to ascertain their susceptibility profile to commonly prescribed antibiotics for diarrhoea treatment. Of 165 stool samples examined, 86 (52.1%) tested positive for E. coli and 40 (57.97%) of the 86 isolates, 33(47.83%) diarrheic and 7(10.14%) non-diarrheic, were found to be DEC pathotypes. The results of the antimicrobial susceptibility test showed that out of the 40 DEC isolates, 33(82.5%) were resistant to ampicillin, 21(52.5%) to tetracycline, 10(25%) to ceftriaxone and 7(17.5%) to both tobramycin and augmentin. The highest antimicrobial resistance was observed in ampicillin (82.5%) followed by tetracycline, (52.5%) and ceftriaxone (25%), while the highest level of susceptibility was observed in augmentin (70%) and ciprofloxacin (62.5%). The results of the study further showed that a large number of the DEC isolates 19 (47.5%) were multidrug-resistant (MDR). The study concluded that there is a high level of antibiotic-resistance among diarrhoeagenic E. coli pathotypes in the study population. It is therefore recommended that there should be regular surveillance studies to monitor the spread of antibiotic-resistant E. coli in Katsina State.