Typhoid fever, whose causal agent is Salmonella typhi has high endemicity in developing countries. This study investigated the distribution of multidrug resistant S. typhi in Southern Benue, Nigeria. Stool samples were obtained from 583 (57.0%) male and 439 (43.0%) female patients presumptively diagnosed with typhoid fever in government hospitals within the study area. Isolation and identification of S.typhi followed standard cultural and biochemical procedures using a range of selective culture media. The Salmonella typhi isolates were subjected to antibiotic susceptibility test using the standard disc diffusion method (Kirby-Bauer), and results were interpreted using the criteria of the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute. Chi-square and analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to determine associations amongst variables were used to determine associations between variables at 95% confidence level. Isolates from Ohimini (57.1%, n=12) had the highest rate of multidrug-resistant strains, while Agatu (13.7%; n=7) had the least. Age groups >60, ?10 and 21-30 exhibited high MDR rates of 50.0%, 32.8% and 30.8% respectively. Isolates from female patients, (33.3%) had higher MDR rate than their male (23.1%) counterparts. The results showed a statistically significant difference in the prevalence of MDR S. typhi in the various locations sampled. The rate of MDR S. typhi isolates demonstrated in this study is remarkable and of great concern.

Adikwu, Peter has completed his Ph.D. at the age of 33 from J.S. Tarka University (Formally known as Federal University of Agriculture, Benue State, Nigeria. He is the head of Microbiology, Federal University of Health Sciences, Otukpo, Nigeria. He has over 10 publications and has been cited over 30 times. He has served as editorial board members for few journals.