Journal Article > ResearchAbstract
J Trop Med Hyg. 1988 December 1; Volume 91 (Issue 6); 296-301.
Desenclos JC, Zergabachew A, Desmoulins B, Chouteau L, Desve G, et al.
J Trop Med Hyg. 1988 December 1; Volume 91 (Issue 6); 296-301.
Two hundred patients with diarrhoea in a rehabilitation camp in Ethiopia were studied in October 1985 to determine the presence of pathogens in the stool and their susceptibility to antibiotics. A total of 42 (21.1%) patients had a positive culture with enterobacteriaceae, the isolation rate was 15.6% for Escherichia coli, 3.5% for Shigella spp. and 2.01% for Salmonella spp. In-vitro antibiotic resistance was frequent among the 42 isolates: 53% of E. coli strains were found to be resistant to ampicillin, 47% to chloramphenicol, 30% to co-trimoxazole and 67% to tetracycline. Of the seven Shigella, three were resistant to chloramphenicol and four to tetracycline. Multidrug resistance (two or more antibiotics) was observed in 52.3% of the 42 isolates. The protocols used for the screening of dysenteric patients for Shigella spp. or Salmonella spp. were found to be specific but poorly sensitive. The opposite was observed for amoebiasis and giardiasis. The responsibility of widespread use of common oral antibiotics is discussed as one of the major factors of antibiotic resistance occurrence at Korem.
Journal Article > ResearchFull Text
J Trop Med Hyg. 1991 February 1; Volume 94 (Issue 1); 1-7.
Moren A, Stefanaggi S, Antona D, Bitar D, Etchegorry MG, et al.
J Trop Med Hyg. 1991 February 1; Volume 94 (Issue 1); 1-7.
Of all populations affected by cholera, refugees are at particular risk of infection due to overcrowding and poor sanitation. Between 15 March and 17 May 1988, 951 cases of cholera were registered at the cholera treatment centre in a Mozambican refugee camp in Malawi. The epidemic duration was 65 days. Vibrio cholerae biotype E1 Tor serotype Inaba was isolated. To identify high-risk groups and potential risk of acquiring the disease, an epidemiologic investigation was conducted. The attack rate of recorded cases was 2.6% with a range from 0.9 to 5.1% for different sections of the camp. The case fatality rate was 3.3% and decreased from week 1 to week 6. The epidemic started in the section near the market place and radiated out. A matched-pair case-control study of food and water consumption was performed early in the outbreak. It showed that cases were more likely to use shallow wells (surface wells) instead of boreholes compared to controls (OR = 4.5, CI = 1.0-20.8, P = 0.04) and that cases were more likely to have had contact with the market than controls (OR = 3.5, CI = 0.7-16.8, P = 0.09). None of the food items available at the market was more likely to be preferred by cases than controls. Recommendations included early case finding and treatment, temporary closure of the market, tetracycline prophylaxis of contacts, and water chlorination.