Pages: (44-54 )
Abstract
Diarrhea remains the second leading cause of death among children under five years globally after pneumonia. However, it accounts for nearly 1.3 million deaths annually making it the second most common cause of childhood mortality globally. The broad objective of this study is to assess the public health implications of high multiple antibiotic resistance index values in relation to antibiotic use and resistance patterns in the local community (Remo). A total number of One hundred and ninety five diarrhea stool samples from patients were collected from the children whose parents gave their consent to participate in selected hospitals in Remo, Ogun State. Eighty-four Escherichia coli isolates were obtained from diarrheic stool samples using standard microbiological procedures and subsequently identified through phenotypic and molecular characterization techniques. The E. coli isolates were tested for the sensitivity testing against seven antibiotic discs (Rapid Labs, UK) which include: Ceftazidime (CAZ) (30 𝜇g), Cefuroxime (CRX) (30 𝜇g), Gentamicin (GEN) (10 𝜇g), Ciprofloxacin (CPR), Ofloxacin (OFL), (5 𝜇g), Amoxycillin-Clavulanate (AUG) (30 𝜇g) and Ampicillin (AMP) (10 𝜇g). High level of antibiotic resistance was observed in this study with Ampicillin (98.8%), Cefuroxime (90.5%), Amoxycillin/clavulanate (89.3%), Ciprofloxacin (75.0%), Ofloxacin (69%), Gentamicin (67.5%) and Ceftazidime (52.4%). The multiple antibiotic resistance (MAR) index for each isolate was calculated and found to be greater than the standard threshold of 0.2. These findings highlight a significant public health concern and underscore the need for urgent interventions
Keywords: Escherichia coli, diarrhea, antibiotic, resistance, children.,