Objectives: The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological, clinical and bacteriological features of gastroenteritis due to Vibrio parahaemolyticus diagnosed during the 2004 and 2005 cholera outbreak in Senegal.
Patients and methods: This retrospective study was made on data recorded between October 11, 2004 and December 31, 2005 at Dakar Fann Hospital. The diagnosis of V. parahaemolyticus was made after identification in stool cultures.
Results: Thirty-five cases of V. parahaemolyticus gastroenteritis were identified, accounting for 8.7% of bacterial gastroenteritis (35/403) and 1.18% of all cholera-like gastroenteritis (35/2942). The patients' median age was 26 years [range=10-70 years] and the M/F sex ratio was 1.5. Most patients came from Dakar city (30 cases). Contamination occurred within the family in 27 cases, and food was suspected to be the source of contamination in 33 cases. Clinical presentation upon admission included acute watery diarrhea with dehydration (35 cases), vomiting (30 cases), abdominal pain (25 cases), muscular cramps (12 cases), and fever (4 cases). All V. parahaemolyticus isolates were susceptible to amoxicillin, quinolones, cotrimoxazole, chloramphenicol, and cyclines. Patients were treated by rehydration and doxycycline. The outcome was favorable in all cases, with a mean hospital stay of 24 hours [range=4-72 hours].