Antibiotic susceptibility of Helicobacter pylori isolates in Dakar, Senegal

Abstract

Background: Helicobacter pylori is the primary cause of peptic ulcer disease and an etiologic agent in the development of gastric cancer. A high frequency of H. pylori infection has been reported from resource-poor regions. H. pylori infection is curable with regimens of multiple antimicrobial agents. However, antibiotic resistance is a leading cause of treatment failure. In Africa, there are very little data concerning the susceptibility of H. pylori isolates to antibiotics. Methodology: H. pylori isolates from gastric biopsies from outpatients ≥ 18 years old affected by a gastro-duodenal ulcer were used in this study. Susceptibility testing was performed for amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin and metronidazole by using the Epsilometer test (E-test) method. Results: H. pylori strains were isolated from 40 patients of whom 36 were diagnosed as having duodenal ulcer, two with gastric ulcer, and two with gastro-duodenal ulcer. Thirty-six (90%) of the isolates were resistant to metronidazole (MICs ≥ 8 μg/l), whereas all isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin (MICs ≤ 0. 5 μg/ml) and ciprofloxacin (MICs ≤ 1μg/ml). Conclusion: These data suggest that metronidazole should not be used therapeutically among Senegalese patients in first-line therapy, while ciprofloxacin could be recommended in association with amoxicillin and a proton pump inhibitor in Senegal. © 2009 Seck et al.