Prevalence of Diarrheagenic Bacteria in Stool Samples of Adult Patients Attending Dutsin-Ma General Hospital, Katsina State, Northwestern Nigeria

Enteric infections and diarrheal diseases (EIDD) pose serious threats to human health globally, closely associated with poor environmental sanitation, poor water supply and unhygienic nature of individuals, which are common in developing countries. Viruses and Parasites are the major microbial agents known to cause Diarrhea and Bacteria especially Escherichia coli, Salmonella Spp. and Shigella Spp. This study was carried out to investigate the prevalence of Escherichia coli and Salmonella species among adults attending Dutsin-Ma General Hospital, Katsina State, and to determine the antimicrobial susceptibility profile of the bacterial isolates to commonly prescribed antibiotics against them. A total of 30 fresh diarrheic samples were collected from the study participants, 17 samples from male and 13 from female participants in sterile sample containers between May and July, 2021. The samples were put in ice packed container and then transported to the laboratory of the Microbiology Department, Federal University, Dutsin-Ma for processing and analyses. Out of the 30 samples examined, 29 (96.67%) were found to be positive, 16(53.33%) E. coli and 13(43.33%) Salmonella species, respectively. The result of antibiotic susceptibility test showed that both E. coli and Salmonella species had highest resistance to ampicillin but were found to be sensitive to chloramphenicol, hence, it could be used as a best drug of choice for the treatment of diarrhoea caused by the pathogens.