IDENTIFICATION OF NON-TYPHOIDAL SALMONELLA FROM DIARRHEAL PEDIATRIC PATIENTS IN SURABAYA, INDONESIA

Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Paratyphi are the predominant agents of diarrheal disease. However, non-typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) serovars are becoming increasingly global. Indonesia is endemic for typhoid fever, but data on NTS is limited. The study employed multiplex PCR (mPCR) to identify NTS in diarrheal children. Bacterial cultures grown on Salmonella Shigella agar from 80 fecal samples of diarrheal pediatric patients in Dr Soetomo General Hospital, Surabaya, Indonesia were characterized by mPCR as NTS Enteritidis, Infantis, Thompson, and Typhimurium. Confirmation by direct amplicon sequencing and by conventional biochemical and serological tests revealed only one NTS as Infantis and one isolate each of S. Paratyphi A, S. Paratyphi C and S. Typhi. The clinical manifestation of S. Infantis infection was milder than that of S. Paratyphi or S. Typhi infection. Thus confirmation tests should be conducted to confirm NTS identification by mPCR.