Salmonella bacteremia: Serotypes, resistance, and outcomes in a tertiary care setting

Salmonella bloodstream infection (BSI) remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, particularly with increasing antimicrobial resistance. We evaluated the clinical characteristics, serogroups, resistance patterns, and outcomes of Salmonella BSI in a tertiary hospital in Saudi Arabia.

A retrospective study at King Abdulaziz Medical City-Riyadh including all patients with Salmonella BSI from January 2016 to July 2024. Demographic, clinical, microbiological, and outcome data were analyzed using descriptive and multivariate methods.

A total of 102 patients were included (mean age 57.2 ± 19.9 years; 54.9% male). Group D (46.1%) and Group B (32.4%) were the predominant serogroups. Susceptibility was high to ceftriaxone (98%) and carbapenems (100%), whereas 31.4% of isolates were non-susceptible to ciprofloxacin. Clinical recovery within 14 days occurred in 73.5% of patients. Thirty-day mortality was 14.7%, and recurrence occurred in 4.9%.

Salmonella bacteremia remains a significant infection in high-risk populations. Increasing ciprofloxacin resistance highlights the need for optimized empiric therapy and strengthened antimicrobial stewardship. Ongoing local surveillance is essential to guide treatment strategies and improve outcomes.