Plasmid Profile of Environmental and Clinical Isolates of Multidrug Resistant Salmonella Typhimurium from Patients Attending General Hospital Asokoro, Abuja and Environ

Abstract

Plasmid is isolated from Salmonella typhimurium, an enteric bacterium responsible for gastro enteritis. Gastro enteritis remains a major clinical and public health problem all over the world, especially among children in the developing countries of the sub – Sahara Africa. The profiling of plasmid isolate of Salmonella typhimurium involved cultivation, isolation, identification, and characterization. The study aimed at investigating the multidrug resistance of salmonella typhimurium of patients attending General Hospital Asokoro with typhoid fever and the susceptibility of isolates to antibiotics. A total of thirty (30) samples, from blood, stool, and water were collected from patients attending General hospital, Asokoro and the environs. The specimens were analyzed using standard microbiological, biochemical, and serological techniques. Bacteriological analysis revealed that twenty-five (25) of the specimens were positive for Salmonella typhimurium. The other five (5) specimens were negative for salmonella typhymurium typhimurium. The biochemical test revealed that they were able to utilize sugar and are lactose fermenter. Anti-microbial susceptibility determination revealed that the most active drugs against salmonella include Ciprofloxacin, Ofloxacin, Amikacin, and Gentamicin. All the isolates were resistant to tetracycline and Ampicillin. There was marked resistance of all isolates to amoxicillin, doxycycline, and chloramphenicol. The result of findings revealed that the genes that encode resistance properties in Salmonella typhimurium are plasmid- borne in some of the bacteria. These plasmids can be cloned and used for genetic engineering and recombinant DNA technology. The antibiotic susceptibility determined the appropriate drugs efficient for therapy of Salmonella infections. Keywords: Antibiotic Susceptibility, Drug Resistance, Salmonella typhimurium, Plasmid.