EPIDEMIOLOGY OF TYPHOID FEVER IN ZARIA
EPIDEMIOLOGY OF TYPHOID FEVER IN ZARIA
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Date
1997-06
Authors
NMEMA, EUCHARIA EZENWANYI
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Abstract
A total of 500 patients attending various hospitals in
Zaria were examined for S. typhi and its '0' and 'H'
agglutinins over a period of six months from May to October
1996. They consisted of 249 males and 251 females whose ages
ranged between 1 and 65 years. Clinical samples collected
from the patients consisted of 500 blood, 382 stool and 118
urine specimens. Widal agglutination tests were carried out
with the blood samples, while stool and urine samples were
cultured for isolation of S. typhi.
Eighty-two (16.4%) blood samples gave positive Widal
agglutination reactions with titres of sl60 against the S.
typhi 'O' antigen and 136 (27.2%), against the 'H' antigen.
Salmonella typhi and S. paratyhi were isolated from
thirty-six (7.2%) of the stool and urine samples. Twentythree
(4.60%) of the isolates were identified as S. typhi.
while thirteen (2.60%) were identified as S. paratyphi.
During the six months study period, the highest
prevalence of typhoid fever occurred in August (12.7%),
followed by May (11.1%).
In the age groups, the highest isolation frequency was in
the 11-20 years age group (15.0%), followed by the 21-30 years
age group (11.8%) , while the male to female ratio among those
infected was 1.4:1.0.
Among the various occupations, the traders and farmers
had the highest prevalence of typhoid fever with 9.67% and
9.43% respectively.
The cases of typhoid and paratyphoid fevers who had
access to pipeborne water were thirteen (5.0%) and those that
obtained their drinking water from wells were twenty-three
(10.5%) . Fourteen (4.6%) of the cases used water closet
toilets while twenty-two (11.1%) used pit latrines.
Of the 500 patients sampled, 280 had started selfmedication
with various antimalarial drugs and thirty-three
had started on a course of chloramphenicol or Amoxicillin
before attending hospital.
Only two of the 500 patients had been previously
vaccinated against typhoid fever.
All the twenty-three S. typhi isolates were sensitive to
five of the antibiotics namely, Chloramphenicol, Gentamicin,
Ceftazidime, Ampicillin-Sulbactam and Co-trimoxazole.
The minimum inhibitory concentration of Chloramphenicol,
Ampicillin-Sulbactam and Co-trimoxazole for the S. typhi.
isolates ranged between 3.9u/ml to 15.6u/ml.
Description
A Thesis Submitted to the Postgraduate School
in Partial fulfillment of the Requirements for
the Award of the Degree of Master of Science
Department of Microbiology
Faculty of Science
Ahmadu Bello University
Zaria.
Keywords
EPIDEMIOLOGY,, TYPHOID,, FEVER,, ZARIA