Summary

SALMONELLA PANAMA IN MARTINIQUE :EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND CLINICAL ASPECTS IN HOSPITALISED CHILDREN

SUMMARY

Since 1986, an augmentation of cases of non typhoid salmonellosis has been noticed in Martinique. In contrast to what is reported in continental France, Salmonella panama was the most frequently encountered serotype (35 % of all strains). We have compared epidemiological, clinical and biological features of S. panama infections (group 1 : 35 cases) with those associated with other serotypes (group 2 : 56 cases) in children hospitalized in the two departments of pediatrics of the Fort de France University hospital between 1990 and 1994. No significant difference was found in the age of patients. Severe clinical signs were present in 8 of 35 patients of group 1 versus 1 of 56 patients of group 2 (p = 0,001). Blood cultures were found positive for 27 (77 %) of the 35 children in group 1 versus 10 (21 %) of 49 children in group 2 (p < 10­4). S. panama infections appear therefore to be a more severe entity, a point also demonstrated by significantly different clinical and biological parameters such as mean temperature at admission, frequency and choice of antibiotic therapy and duration of stay in the hospital. The epidemiology of S. panama infections is not well known. None of the cases presented here was associated with a foodborne disease outbreak. S. panama is also rarely isolated during water and food quality controls (9 of 196 Salmonella strains from 1975 to 1994).

Key-words : Salmonella panama - Martinique.

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REVUE DE LA SOCIETE DE PATHOLOGIE INFECTIEUSE DE LANGUE FRANCAISE