Prevalence, antimicrobial properties and beta-lactamase production of haemolytic enterobacteria in patients with diarrhoea and urinary tract infections in Legos, Nigeria.

Objective: To determine the prevalence, antimicrobial properties and beta-lactamase production of haemolytic enterobacteria in patients with diarrhoea and urinary tract infections in Lagos, Nigeria.

Design: Hospital based prospective study.

Subjects: Total of 324 patients comprising 194 diarrhoeal and 130 urinary tract infection (UTI) cases.

Main Outcome Measures: Production of haemolysms. beta-lactamase and antibiograms of isolates.

Results: 186 (57.41 pc) of the 324 clinical specimens screened were positive for enterobacteria, out of which 29 (15.59 pc) were haemolytic. Proteus vulgaris (2.78 pc) Klebsiella spp. (1.85pc). Escherichia coli (1.23 pc). Pseudomonas spp. (0.93 pc). Yersinia enterocolitics and Morganella morganii (0.62 pc). Salmonella spp. Vibrio cholerae and Proteus mirabilis (0.31pc) were the haemolytic enterobacteria Isolated. The susceptibilities of haemolytic bacteria to eight antibotics determined by disc-agar diffusion technique revealed that all 29 (100 pc) haemolytic isolates were sensitive to gentamycin and streptomycin but showed varied susceptibilities to the other drugs. Eleven (37.9 pc) of the 29 isolates produced beta-lactamase.

Conclusion: We conclude that gentamycin and streptomycin are effective drugs against haemolytic isolates from diarrhoea and UTI cases.