Use of stool culture as a determinant parameter of enteric fever in adults attending Bingham university teaching hospital Jos, Nigeria

Background: Enteric fever caused by salmonella typhi is an endemic disease in the tropics and sub-tropics; and has become a major public health problem in developing countries of the world. Presently, cultures of Stool and blood are the most diagnostic means of confirming salmonellosis in humans. However, the stool and serum sample of an infected patient against the somatic (O) and flagella (H) antigens of the bacteria requires thorough laboratory analysis. This study was biased on the use of stool culture as a confirmatory analysis of typhoid fever indices in the region of research particularly among adolescents (18 yrs and above). Methods: 60 adults attending Bingham University Teaching Hospital with symptoms clinically suspected to be enteric fever were randomly selected. Informed consent of volunteers was obtained in 48 patients and stool specimens collected and were cultured. Stool specimens were processed using isolation method and biochemical characteristics of susceptibility testing of typhoid fever from the individual patient. A significant mean difference of male and female that were affected by enteric fever was determined. Results: Results obtained from a total number of 48 patients (32 male and 16 female) indicated 12 positive stool cultures among which 10 were males and 2 were females (31.25% and 12.5%) respectively. Salmonella was found to be susceptible to Offloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Ceffraxole and Cefuroxime respectively; thus constituting the choice drugs in the treatment of enteric fever. Conclusion: Result showed that a significant mean difference between the number of affected patients and those not affected (P.v = 0.0521) authenticates stool culture as confirmatory test for enteric fever as against clinical diagnosis. Salmonella enterica showed more resistance to some commonly used drugs. Therefore, sensitivity testing based on prescription is recommended to prevent continuous drug resistance development. Results further showed that men were more affected than women; however, a suggested area to explore in the study of enteric fever infections.