Salmonella Typhi is endemic in developing countries at poor resource areas and poses a serious concern in the health sector. This study assessed the genetic diversity and antibiotic resistance patterns of S.Typhi isolates from stool samples of diagnosed patients. Isolates were confirmed biochemically and tested against ten commonly used antibiotics. Furthermore, five RAPD primers (797, 784, AP7, NSC I, P5) were evaluated for their discriminatory power based on banding pattern polymorphism and clustering analysis. The results revealed that all isolates exhibited multidrug resistance (MDR), with multiple antibiotics resistance (MAR) indices exceeding the 0.2 threshold, indicating high antibiotic selection pressure. One strain (A12) was resistant to all tested antibiotics and had the highest MAR index of 1.0. The RAPD analysis generated between 9 and 17 bands per isolate with RAPD profiles revealing genetic heterogeneity among isolates. Among the studied primer, 797 showed the highest polymorphic potential suggesting its utility for strain differentiation. This finding highlights significant genetic diversity among MDR S. Typhi in this endemic setting, underscoring the utility of RAPD markers for epidemiological investigations. Also, it provides insight on the need for surveillance strategies targeting MDR strains to support public health efforts in endemic regions.
Publication Date: 2026-06-19