Abstract
Bacillary dysentery is a type of dysentery and a severe form of shigellosis. This dysentery is usually restricted to
Shigella
infection, but
Salmonella enterica
and enteroinvasive
Escherichia coli
strains are also known as this infection’s causative agents. The emergence of drug-resistant, bacillary dysentery-causing pathogens is a global burden, especially for developing countries with poor hygienic environments. This study aimed to isolate, identify, and determine the drug-resistant pattern of bacillary dysentery-causing pathogens from the stool samples of the Kushtia region in Bangladesh. Hence, biochemical tests, serotyping, molecular identification, and antibiotic profiling were performed to characterize the pathogens. Among one hundred fifty (150) stool samples, 18 enteric bacterial pathogens were isolated and identified, where 12 were
Shigella
strains, 5 were
S. enterica
sub spp. enterica strains and one was the
E.coli
strain. Among 12
Shigella
isolates, 8 were
Shigella flexneri
2a serotypes, and 4 were
Shigella sonnei
Phage-II serotypes. Except for three
Salmonella
strains, all isolated strains were drug-resistant (83%), whereas 50% were multidrug-resistant (MDR), an alarming issue for public health. In antibiotic-wise analysis, the isolated pathogens showed the highest resistance against nalidixic acid (77.78%), followed by tetracycline (38.89%), kanamycin (38.89%), amoxicillin (27.78%), streptomycin (27.78%), cefepime (22.22%), ceftriaxone (22.22%), ampicillin (16.67%), ciprofloxacin (16.67%), and chloramphenicol (16.67%). The existence of MDR organisms that cause bacillary dysentery in the Kushtia area would warn the public to be more health conscious, and physicians would administer medications cautiously. The gradual growth of MDR pathogenic microorganisms needs immediate attention, and the discovery of effective medications must take precedence.