[Antibiotic sensitivity of 299 strains of shigella isolated in Burundi]

Bacillary dysentery which occurs endemoepidemically in Burundi is currently on the rise and requires close epidemiologic and therapeutic monitoring. Sensitivity tests using 13 antibiotics were performed on 299 strains of shigella isolated at the Biology Laboratory of the Bujumbura University Hospital Center. The technique used to test antibiotic sensitivity was the disc diffusion method described by Chabert et al. Of the 299 strains studied, 250 (83.6%) were species of Shigella dysenteriae type 1. All isolated Shigella bacillus were resistant to ampicillin, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, tetracyclin, and chloramphenicol. Ninety-seven percent of Shigella dysenteriae type 1 serotype presented resistance to nalidixic acid while the 2 serotypes (0.8%) showed partial resistance to pefloxacine and norfloxacine. No resistance was observed to cefotaxim, colistin, and neomycin. Multiresistance of Shigella bacillus isolated in Bujumbura supports involvement of a plasmid mechanisms and suggests that the effectiveness of antibiotherapy against shigellosis is limited. This study suggests that a preventive campaign for bacillary dysentery should be undertaken in Burundi.