• Maina, John
• Mwaniki, John
• Songoro, Edinah
• Kariuki, Samuel

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p><jats:bold>Background</jats:bold> In Kenya, diarrhoeal disease is the third leading cause of child mortality after Malaria and Pneumonia, accounting for nearly 100 deaths daily. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Mukuru informal settlements to determine the diarrhoea-causing bacteria and their ASTs to provide data essential for implementing appropriate intervention measures. <jats:bold>Methods</jats:bold> Diarrheagenic children (≤ 5 years) were recruited from outpatient clinics of Municipal City Council, Mukuru kwa Reuben, Mary Mother Mission, and Mama Lucy Kibaki Hospital, Nairobi. A total of 219 stool samples were collected from the children between May 2021 and August 2021. Stool culture was done on MacConkey and <jats:italic>Salmonella Shigella</jats:italic> Agar, while the recovered bacteria were identified using VITEK®2GNID and PCR, and Antibiotic Susceptibility Testing (AST) was done using VITEK®2AST-GN83. <jats:bold>Results</jats:bold> At least one bacterial organism was recovered from each of the 213 (97%) participants, with 115( 56%) participants having only one bacterial type isolated, 90( 43%) with two types of bacteria, and 2(1%) with three types of bacteria recovered. The most dominant bacteria recovered included; <jats:italic>Escherichia coli </jats:italic>(35.5%),<jats:italic> Enterobacter</jats:italic> spp (27.8%)<jats:italic>, Klebsiella </jats:italic>spp (11%),<jats:italic> </jats:italic>and <jats:italic>Citrobacter </jats:italic>spp (4.7%). Potentially pathogenic isolates such as <jats:italic>Salmonella 7 (</jats:italic>2%), <jats:italic>Proteus mirabilis</jats:italic> 16 (6%),<jats:italic> Providencia alcalifaciens 1 (</jats:italic>0.3 %)<jats:italic>, </jats:italic>and <jats:italic>Shigella</jats:italic>16 (4.7%) were also detected. Isolates such as <jats:italic>Pantoea </jats:italic>spp 0.67%( 2), <jats:italic>Raoultella</jats:italic> <jats:italic>planticola </jats:italic>0.33%( 1), and <jats:italic>Kluyvera</jats:italic> 2%( 6) rarely reported but implicated with diarrhoeal disease were also recovered. Ampicillin, cefazolin,and sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim were the least effective antimicrobials at 64%, 57%, and 55% resistance, respectively, while meropenem(99%), amikacin (99%), tazobactam piperacillin (96%), and cefepime (95%) were the most effective. Overall 33( 21%) of all enterics recovered were multidrug-resistant ( MDR). <jats:bold>Conclusion</jats:bold> Infection with diarrhoeagenic bacteria is prevalent in children in the Mukuru settlement. The strains were resistant to the commonly used antibiotics, thus narrowing the treatment options for diarrheal disease.</jats:p>

Topics

• impedance spectroscopy
• susceptibility