Ndibalekera Sylvia
Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Uganda
Title: Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori among primary school children in selected schools of Goma Sub County Mukono District
Biography
Biography: Ndibalekera Sylvia
Abstract
Helicobacter pylori is a gram-negative bacteria attributed to be the causative agent of serious gastrointestinal diseases such as peptic and gastric ulcers and high possibility of developing into a carcinogens and lymphomas as a result of prolonged occurrence of the infection. Half of world’s population is affected based on previous epidemiologic studies and mainly acquired during childhood. The role of Helicobacter pylori contributing to infection among children is still unclear. In Uganda, there are few documented studies carried out among children to establish Helicobacter pylori status. This study sought to establish the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori among children attending selected schools of Goma Sub County Mukono District, Uganda. A total of 120 stool samples were collected from symptomatic primary school children aged four-14 years. The stool samples were packed in the cool box and transported to Mulago National Referral Hospital clinical laboratory for analysis. The collected samples were then cultured using standard culture methods on Columbia agar and sensitivity tests were further set on the isolates. The overall prevalence of H. pylori colonization in 120 children was 24.2% among primary school children in selected schools of Goma Sub County Mukono District. The isolates were highly susceptible to amoxicillin (96.6%), followed by clarithromycin (82.8%), tetracycline (72.4%), levofloxacin (65.5%), metronidazole (37.9%) and lastly ciprofloxacin (37.9%). The study reveals that H. pylori are among the causative agents of infection amongst school with increased antibiotic resistance to the most used antibiotics. Therefore further testing of other schools should be considered to establish the burden more clearly.