DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2014.v02i06.019

Pages: 2042-2045

This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of Salmonella typhi in Calabar Municipality. One thousand five hundred (1500) stool specimens were collected from food handlers, i.e. food-hawkers, canteen workers, restaurant workers and people working in drinking parlours. Eight hundred and twenty (54.7%) males and 680 (45.3%) females, aged between 5 and 55 years, participated in the study. Collection and processing of specimens lasted from February to August, 2010. Salmonella typhi was isolated from 40 stool specimens. The result represented a prevalence rate of 2.7%; with 10 positive cases (1.5%) among females and 30 positive cases (3.7%) among males. Antimicrobial sensitivity pattern showed that all 40 isolates were susceptible to Chloramphenicol, Cotrimoxazole, Amoxycillin and Erythromycin. Although this study shows a low prevalence rate for S. typhi carrier status in Calabar Municipality, there is need for public awareness of the routes of transmission of the bacilli and steps taken to maintain a high standard of hygiene.