Predictors for extraintestinal infection in Salmonella enteritis in Thailand

To identify the risks and predictors for extraintestinal Salmonella infection (ETI) in infants and children with nontyphoidal Salmonella enteritis, we performed a retrospective review of 326 infants and children with diarrhea and rectal swab cultures positive for nontyphoidal Salmonella enteritis seen at Ramathibodi Hospital between 1981 and 1983. Nineteen patients had bacteremia. The overall rate of bacteremia was 5.8% which was 24.3% of those having blood cultures taken. Salmonella typhimurium was the most common cause of ETI and the most invasive among the common serotypes causing enteritis. The clinical characteristics of the patients with high probabilities of having ETI were: younger than 6 months of age; high body temperature; and immunocompromising conditions. The observed frequency of ETI in these patients was 21.9 to 26.3% compared with 0 to 0.7% in patients without those risk factors.