The antibiotic resistance patterns of Salmonella Typhi isolates in Italy, 1980–96

• Published in: Epidemiology and infection Vol. 124; no. 1; pp. 17 - 23
• Main Authors: SCUDERI, G., FANTASIA, M., NIGLIO, T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge Cambridge University Press 01-02-2000
• Subjects: Antibiotic resistance; Antibiotics; Antimicrobials; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Disease resistance; Epidemiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Italy; Microbiology; Pathogenicity, virulence, toxins, bacteriocins, pyrogens, host-bacteria relations, miscellaneous strains; Salmonella; Salmonella typhi; Surveillance; Typhoid fever; Italy; Europe; Characterization; Human; Antibiotic; Sensitivity resistance; Salmonella typhi; Bacteria; Antibacterial agent; Epidemiology; Clinical isolate; Enterobacteriaceae
• ISSN: 0950-2688; 1469-4409
• DOI: 10.1017/S0950268899003301

In this paper we report the distribution of Salmonella Typhi isolates in Italy and their
resistance patterns to antibiotics. The data were collected by the Italian SALM–NET
surveillance system in a pilot retrospective study of the period 1980–96. Data on drug-resistance were available for 82 isolates out of 176 S. Typhi isolated in Italy. Of these 82
isolates, 32 (39%) were resistant or intermediate to 1 or more antibiotics. Eight isolates were
resistant and 7 intermediate to streptomycin; 4 isolates were resistant to ampicillin alone or in
association with other antibiotics; only 2 strains (1 isolated in Lombardia in 1993 and the
other 1 in Lazio in 1994) were resistant to chloramphenicol, and 2 (isolated in Sardegna and
Piemonte in 1995 and 1996, respectively) showed intermediate resistance to chloramphenicol.
The strains showing resistance to 3 or more antibiotics were very scarce: 1 (with 5 complete
resistances) was isolated in Lazio in 1994, and another 1 (with complete resistance to 10
antibiotics and intermediate resistance to 2 antibiotics) was isolated in Molise in 1988. In
conclusion, besides the routine activities to control typhoid fever, an accurate and continuous
surveillance is necessary in order to quickly identify multidrug-resistant (MDR) S. Typhi
strains and prevent their spread, even though their level, in our country, is still quite low.