Laboratory and Molecular Surveillance of Paediatric Typhoidal Salmonella in Nepal: Antimicrobial Resistance and Implications for Vaccine Policy

Abstract

Background Children are substantially affected by enteric fever in most settings with a high burden of the disease, which could be due to immune naivety, or enhanced risk of exposure to the pathogen. Although Nepal is a high burden setting for enteric fever, the bacterial population structure and transmission dynamics are poorly delineated in young children, the proposed target group for immunization programs. Methods Blood culture surveillance amongst children aged 2 months to 15 years of age was conducted at Patan Hospital between 2008 and 2016. A total of 198 S. Typhi and 66 S. Paratyphi A isolated from children treated in both inpatient and outpatient settings were subjected to whole gen..