Study of stool samples in a tertiary medical college hospital to find out the empirical choice of antibiotic in patients admitted with acute infective diarrhoea

Fazle Elahi Nurani¹, Madhusudan Saha², Ashiq Awal Chowdhury³

1. Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, North East Medical College Hospital, Sylhet
2. Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, North East Medical College Hospital, Sylhet
3. Assistant Registrar, Department of Medicine, North East Medical College Hospital, Sylhet

Abstract
Diarrhoeal diseases are quite common in underdeveloped countries like Bangladesh. Many of the patients getting hospitalized for uncontrolled acute loose motion suffer from an infective cause, but there is widespread uncertainty about what antibiotic to choose when there is unsatisfactory response to initial ciprofloxacin therapy. This study was conducted in the medicine-ward of NEMC&H during the year 2015 involving 50 patients. Most stool examinations revealed that diarrhoea was ‘watery’ (not ‘bloody’) & bacterial (not viral) in nature. E. coli was the most frequently cultured organism, followed by V. cholerae and Shigella species. It was determined that enteropathogenic resistance to commonly used antibiotics is rising; however, resistance to third-generation Cephalosporin is still uncommon. Cefixime appeared to be the best empirical choice in any case of apparent failure to initial therapy with ciprofloxacin; while Cotrimoxazole can be another good alternative. Unless the stool C/S report supports, use of tetracycline & amoxyclav should be discouraged in the management of infectious diarrhoea.

Key Words: acute infective diarrhoea, Escherichia coli, Cefixime.

Request For Pdf Version of this Journal

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Name *

First

Last

Institute Name

Designation *

Phone Number

Email *

Message *

Submit