TECHNICAL NOTE - Salmonella agglutinins in healthy individuals in Owerri, Nigeria

Fifty eight sera samples from healthy persons among the community of the Federal University of Technology, Owerri (FUTO) were tested for the presence of antibodies to typhoid and paratyphoid salmonella using the rapid slide agglutination test (RSAT) of Widal reaction. Thirteen of these samples representing 22.4% of the sample population tested positive for one or more of the eight different salmonella agglutinins. The most frequently occurring agglutinin was that against Salmonella paratyphi A. The titre values (reciprocals of serum dilutions) of positive samples were determined in tube agglutination tests and ranged from 20 to 160. The results are discussed in view of the endemicity of enteric fevers in Nigeria and also the sources of salmonella antigens for the Widal tests.