Rapidly changing treatment options adding burden to the management of typhoid fever

Abstract

Typhoid fever continues to be a global public health problem. It is caused by the

facultative intracellular organisms Salmonella enteric serotype Typhi and

Salmonella paratyphi. Antimicrobial therapy is the mainstay for treatment of

typhoid fever. Chloramphenicol, ampicillin, and cotrimoxazole had been in use

for decades for treating enteric fever. But the emergence and rapid spread of

drug resistance has resulted in rapid shift of treatment options from

chloramphenicol to fluoroquinolones to third generation cephalosporins to

azithromycin with tigecycline and carbapenems in line, thus adding burden to

the health-care sector in developing countries. Rational and judicious

antibiotic prescribing practices by health professionals are necessary to prevent

further development of drug resistance and help in re-emergence of sensitive

strains.