Antimicrobial resistance of Shigella isolates causing traveler's diarrhea

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1994 Nov;38(11):2668-70. doi: 10.1128/AAC.38.11.2668.

Abstract

Shigella isolates were identified as a cause of traveler's diarrhea in 67 (10%) of 675 patients and were tested for resistance to seven antimicrobial agents in a comparative study with those causing nontraveler's diarrhea in Spain. Ampicillin and chloramphenicol resistance was more frequent in Shigella flexneri (60 and 46%, respectively) than in Shigella sonnei (32 and 18%, respectively) and in travel-related isolates (P < 0.05 and 0.04, respectively). Of S. sonnei isolates from patients with traveler's diarrhea, 73 and 54% showed tetracycline and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance, respectively, compared with only 8% of isolates from patients without a history of travel to developing countries (P < 0.007 and P < 0.0002). Low-level resistance to cephalosporins was found, whereas quinolone-resistant strains were not detected among travel-related Shigella isolates. Thus, quinolones may be an effective alternative therapy for travel-related shigellosis.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Developing Countries*
  • Diarrhea / microbiology*
  • Drug Resistance, Microbial
  • Humans
  • Shigella / drug effects*
  • Shigella / isolation & purification
  • Spain
  • Travel*