diarrhea is one of the important public health problems in developing countries. and species are the major bacterial causal agents of diarrhea. The increasing burden of antimicrobial resistance is posing difficulty in the treatment of these pathogens. This study aimed to assess the occurrence of and in the feces of diarrheic patients receiving health services in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and to determine their antimicrobial susceptibility profile. A cross-sectional study involving 13 health centers was conducted where 428 diarrheic patients were recruited. Standard microbiology techniques were used to isolate and from stool samples. In addition, isolates were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method was employed to assess susceptibility to 11 antimicrobials for each of the and isolates. The prevalence of and spp. among diarrheic patients was 8.4%; = 36 and 5.6%; = 24, respectively. Thirty (83.3%) of isolates were susceptible to all antimicrobials tested, whereas 4 (10.8%) of isolates were resistant to 2 or more antimicrobials and 2 (5.6%) were multidrug resistant. Resistance to ampicillin was recorded in only one (2.7%) of isolates; however, resistance to ampicillin was recorded in 12 (50%) of the isolates. Half of the isolates ( = 12) were resistant to 2 or more antimicrobials while 5 (20.8%) of them were resistant to 3 or more antimicrobials. The overall rate of resistance to antimicrobials was more common in compared to isolates. In conclusion, and were isolated from the feces of diarrheic patients, with a higher rate of antimicrobial resistance in isolates, which could make the treatment of shigellosis challenging. Therefore, increasing hygienic practices during food preparation to reduce the burden of and infection and prudent use of antimicrobials are recommended to limit the spread of antimicrobial resistant strains.
