Antimicrobial resistance of Shigella species isolated from diarrheal patients in Zahedan

One of the great challenges in the treatment of infectious diseases is the resistance of pathogenic bacteria against antibiotics, and Shigella is among the bacteria against which antibiotic resistance is broadly observed in different parts of the world. The object of this study is to determine Shigella antibiotic resistance pattern against the antibiotics such as Ampicillin, Amoxicillin, Trimethoprim– sulfamethoxazol, Chloramphenicol, Nalidixic acid, Ciprofloxacin and Ceftriaxone. In this cross-sectional study, a total of 147 Shigella strains were collected from the diarrheic patients referred to different medical centers of Zahedan and were examined by biochemical tests and serotyping, and their antibiotic resistance pattern were determined by standard Kirby-bauer method. Of the147 studied Shigella strains102 S.flexneri (69.4%), 32 S.dysenteriae (21.8 %),11 S.boydii (7.5%), and 2 S.sonnei (1.36%) were confirmed.The isolated strains show resistance to Ampicillin (99.3%), co-trimoxazol (57.1%), chloramphenicol (52%) and Nalidixic acid (1.3%), but there was no resistance against Ciprofloxacin and Ceftriaxone. According to the findings, it is suggested that antibiotics should not be used without laboratory testing (antibiogram) and further studies needs to be done by using other antibiotics.