RAPID METHODS FOR DIAGNOSIS OF TYPHOID FEVER AND DETECTiON OF CHLORA:MPHENICOL RESISTANT STRAINS

Abstract

Blood, stool and unne samples were obtained from 200 patients from Imbaba Fever Hospital clinically suspected of having enteric fever.

Blood samples were cultured by both conventional blood culture and a new rapid separation method where the mononuclear cell-platelet (MNCP) layer were cultured and the results were as follows:

The conventional blood culture was more sensitive (43% positivity). 86 positive cases out of 200 cases but rather slowly where 57 cases (66.3%) isolated after 72 hr, 17 cases (19.8%) isolated after 10 days, and only 12 cases (13.9%) 24 hr after sample collection, while the new separation method by culture of (MNCP) layer was less sensitive (25% positivity) but rather rapid isolation after 24 hr only.

The stools samples were cultured by both direct and indirect methods, and only 15 out of 200 cases were positive due to the sampling time which was at the first two weeks of illness approximately. But the indirect method was more sensitive where all positive cases were isolated by indirect culture, while only 5 cases were isolated by both direct and indirect methods.