Clinical Manifestations of Nontyphoid Salmonellosis in Children Younger than 2 Years Old—Experiences of a Tertiary Hospital in Southern Taiwan

Abstract

Few published studies have explored the clinical manifestations of nontyphoid salmonellosis in children 2 years of age. Results: Of a total 279 enrolled patients, 179 were >2 years of age. Compared with the patients who were ≥2 years of age, patients <2 years of age demonstrated a significantly higher incidence of bloody stool, mixed infection, extraintestinal infection, longer course of antibiotics, longer course of diarrhea after admission, and more days spent in the hospital. The rates of insusceptibility of nontyphoid Salmonella to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, ceftriaxone, and ciprofloxacin in patients <2 years of age were 37.87%, 29.09%, 23.73%, 3.26%, and 2.25%, respectively. Younger patients were generally more susceptible to antibiotics than patients ≥2 years of age, although this result was not statistically significant. Conclusion: The clinical manifestations of nontyphoid salmonellosis are more severe in younger children <2 years of age than older children. Local susceptibility patterns could serve as a guide for the prescription of antibiotics by clinicians.

Keywords

• antibiotic resistance
• clinical manifestation
• nontyphoid salmonellosis
• young children