Enteric fever in Asir region, southern of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Ninety four cases of Enteric fever seen in Asir region, in southern Saudi. Arabia were analyzed. 68 cases were males and 26 were females. The average age was 2.5 years. The majority of cases were foreigners (66%), while the Saudis were only 34%. Among foreigners, enteric fever was commonly seen in patients from the Indian subcontinent (47% of all cases). No significant difference was found in the clinical presentation of patients of different nationalities. The disease was generally mild and no mortality was seen. Leucopenia was fraud in only 22.2% of cases while anemia occurred in 12.8%. A mild reversible disturbance in the liver function test was seen in some patients. Abnormalities in urine analysis were also observed. Multi-drug resistant isolates were more commonly seen in Indian patients. Some drug resistance was also seen in patients from Egypt and Syria. The study has shown the effectiveness of aminoglycosides and cephalosporins in treating resistant cases.