Salmonella is now resistant to antibiotics
Friday September 14 2001
Many of the samples of the strain S Typhimurium DT104 occurring in this country were found to be resistant to at least five antibiotics including ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin, sulphonamide and tetracycline which previously targeted the infection.
The report of the National Disease Surveillance Centre, said the incidence rate rose in the 1990s and peaked in in 1998.
Since then the occurrence of salmonella has been falling. The total number of notifications to the laboratory last year was 640, compared to 960 in 1999, although the true incidence is probably much higher.
The overuse of antibiotics by GPs and hospitals has been blamed for weakening the effectiveness of these drugs. The report stressed the need to be able to link human, animal and food data in order to track the spread of drug resistance. Recent data suggests that the use of antibiotics in livestock may contribute to the problem of the increased resistance of human diseases to antibiotics and other drugs. The spread of this resistance is a global issue that needs a strategy, the report said. "There are over 2,300 known serotypes of salmonella," said the report.
"However, in recent times salmonellaenterica serotype Enteritidis and S enterica serotype Typhimurium have accounted for most cases of human salmonellosis."
The issue of drug resistant salmonella is particularly worrying for groups such as the elderly and very young who are most susceptible to the illness.
Listing the outbreaks last year the report revealed:
* Cooked ham caused an outbreak in February in the north eastern region affecting 78 people with 27 hospitalised.
* In March, an outbreak in a nursing home in the eastern region resulted in sick patients and staff.
* An outbreak in a takeaway restaurant in April in the south resulted in 18 people falling ill, with four hospitalised.
* An outbreak in a creche in the midlands in November resulted in four children and one staff member falling ill.
* In October, a hospital in the north east had an outbreak amongst its in-patients.
- Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent
