Pesticide Exposure Contributes to the Pathophysiology of Salmonella Typhi and Salmonella Paratyphia in Infected Patients

Abstract

The increasing prevalence and burden of Salmonella infections is a major public health concern, with pesticide exposure potentially playing a substantial role in its development and severity. This study assessed the implication of pesticides on the pathophysiology of Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi in patients. This study included 159 participants suffering from Salmonella infection attending the Bamenda District Hospital in Cameroon. The participants’ socio-demographic information, clinical and biochemical parameters as well as pesticide exposure biomarkers were investigated. The most represented participants were females (62.3%) and people between 5 and 44 years old. Drugs commonly used to manage typhoid showed variable pharmacological patterns with more resistance reported with Cefixime (40.9%) and Ciprofloxacin (30.8%). About 40% of the participants used pesticides and showed significantly increased (p = 0.015) levels of oxidative stress biomarker, the tiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), as compared to patients not using the pesticides. The biomarkers of pesticides exposure (acetylcholinesterase, butyrylcholinesterase) were not significantly altered when compared to the non-users of the pesticides. However, these biomarkers were significantly associated with oxidative stress biomarkers levels, TBARS and glutathione (GSH). This study suggests a potential contribution of pesticides to the pathophysiology of Salmonella in patients mainly through exacerbating the oxidative stress.