HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE AMONG UNDER-FIVE CHILDREN IN JOS, NIGERIA

Abstract

This was a descriptive cross-sectional study carried out at the Emergency
Paediatric Units of Jos University Teaching Hospital and Bingham university Teaching
Hospital, Jos, northcentral Nigeria. One hundred and sixty consecutive under-five
children who presented with signs and symptoms consistent with H. influenzae infection
were recruited. Socio-demography data was obtained with structured questionnaire.
Specimens including cerebrospinal fluid, blood, ear, throat and eye swab were collected
and carefully processed for isolation of
H . in flu e n z a e . The specimens were
macroscopically and microscopically examined before the specimens were cultured in
Sheep chocolate agar. The isolates were identified by satellitism and X+V factor
requirements and were biotyped using indole, urease and ornithine decarboxylase
biochemical tests and serotyped by slide agglutination test. Antibiotics susceptibility
pattern and minimum inhibitory concentration of the isolates determined by disk
diffusion method and Etest respectively.
The prevalence of H. influenzae was low in Jos with prevalence of 6.3% among
160 under-five children studied, three isolated from JUTH and seven from BUTH, with
mean age of 34 months and M: F ratio of 1:1. About 60% of these isolates were
obtained from patients with acute pyogenic bacterial meningitis and H. influenzae were
isolated predominantly from children whose parents were Farmers and Artisans. Most of
the isolates were biotype 1 and fifty percent of the isolates were serotype b. Majority of
the isolates were ampicillin resistance, β-lactamases producers and were all sensitive to
ceftriaxone and azithromycin.
The incorporation of vaccination against
H . in flu e n z a e into the national immunization schedule is advised because of the risk of complications.

HAEMOPHILUS INFLUENZAE AMONG UNDER-FIVE CHILDREN IN JOS, NIGERIA