A researcher, Dr Kolawole Aremu, has called for immediate public health action to curb the rapidly rising spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria in the country.
Aremu, Research Associate,Trans-Saharan Diseases Research Centre, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU), made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
He said this had become imperative following a study his team carried out investigating the prevalence of typhoid fever and the factors contributing to multidrug-resistance in Niger State.
He noted that the choice of Niger as case study was due to the limited sanitation and healthcare access that have bedevilled the state.
Aremu, who is also one of the study’s lead investigators, said the research adopted a cross-sectional study design in which young people aged 18 and above were engaged, while analysis of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi were conducted using stool samples.
He mentioned that the team led by Prof Musa Dickson, Director, Trans-Saharan Disease Research Centre, IBBU, tested Salmonella isolates against selected widely used antibiotics.
“Gentamicin and Levofloxacin demonstrated comparatively high effectiveness at 78.5 per cent and 83.6 per cent respectively.
“Resistance rates to older and commonly prescribed drugs were strikingly high, with Chloramphenicol at 96.8 per cent, Tetracycline at 79.5 per cent and Amoxicillin 100 per cent.”
He said the determination and interpretation of multidrug-resistance was performed according to the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) methods.
“We examined the associations between socio-demographic characteristics, clinical factors and multi-drug resistant (MDR) in Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi.
“Some reports have revealed an estimated 7.2 million cases of typhoid fever recorded annually in sub-Saharan Africa.
“Nigeria’s situation is becoming increasingly worrisome as new evidence shows extremely high infection rates and dwindling treatment options due to antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
“While the country is dealing with a severe public health threat, our data reveals complete resistance to first-line antibiotics meaning these drugs are essentially ineffective in many patients,” Aremu said.
The researcher identified poor sanitation, contaminated water sources, and widespread misuse of antibiotics as the most significant factors.
According to him, people tested who relied on tap water, showed a 57.1 per cent infection rate, compared to 25.6 per cent for borehole users, pointing to serious contamination within public water systems.
He added that self-medication and over-the-counter access to antibiotics, particularly Amoxicillin and Clavulanic acid combinations, were also strongly linked to multidrug-resistance.
“Young adults aged 18 to 27 years are bearing the highest disease burden.
“This is likely due to exposure in crowded schools, markets and social environments where adequate sanitation is lacking,” Aremu said.
According to Aremu, untreated or poorly managed infections can result in severe complications, prolonged hospital stays, and increased mortality.
He, however, stressed an urgent need for improved Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) infrastructure, stricter regulation of antibiotic sales and widespread community health education.
He said public health experts had underscored the need to adopt more responsible prescribing practices in line with global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) containment guidelines.
“Given the rapid evolution of drug-resistant strains, the team is advocating for the establishment of sustained disease surveillance systems to monitor resistance patterns and guide treatment protocols,” he said.
Aremu warned that without coordinated and timely interventions, Nigeria risked facing a public health emergency driven by the dual challenges of typhoid fever and antimicrobial resistance.
Other contributors to the study included Prof. Stella Smith and Enyo Sule, both of the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research; Dr Samuel Abah of the Coventry University Group, London Campus; Dr Salamatu Mambula-Machunga of the University of Abuja; and Dr Hussaini Majiya of IBB University, among others. (NAN)
Edited by Yetunde Fatungase
