Salmonellosis in children: study of 95 cases in the Hospital Ste-Justine, Montreal, in 1963-1964

A retrospective study was done in children in whom salmonellosis was confirmed by laboratory findings with the aim of reviewing etiology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations and therapy. The 15 serotypes most frequently isolated from stool, and in exceptional cases from urine, are discussed. If patients with typhoid fever are excluded, only one patient (who subsequently died) had a blood culture positive for Salmonella, specifically S. enteritidis.No seasonal or other peaks of incidence were noted. Age appeared to be important; of 81 patients with gastroenteritis, 30 were less than 6 months old.Two children in the older age group developed complications; one with appendicitis required surgery.Ten strains of Salmonella out of 23 tested by the disc method showed in vitro resistance to ampicillin on primary isolation.Acquired in vitro resistance to one or more antibiotics appeared to develop with six Salmonella strains reisolated from patients after or during antibiotic treatment.In several children the stool cultures remained positive after clinical signs had disappeared. These findings strongly suggest that, even though antibiotic therapy may improve the symptoms of Salmonella infection, it does not decrease the number of carriers during the convalescent period.