Multidrug-resistant typhoid fever

Trop Doct. 2000 Oct;30(4):195-7. doi: 10.1177/004947550003000404.

Abstract

One hundred children (consecutive) with positive blood culture for Salmonella typhi were studied for clinical profile and complications. The common clinical features were fever (100%), vomiting (58%), abdominal pain (48%), cough (22%) and loose stools (14%) and the Widal test was positive in 75% patients. Eighty per cent of the salmonella isolates were resistant to amoxycillin, chloramphenicol and co-trimoxazole drugs, but all were sensitive to ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone. Forty patients developed complications: encephalopathy (18), melaena (12), haematemesis (10), epistaxis (4), hepatitis (4), acalculous cholecystitis (4), bowel perforation (3) and nephritis (2). Complications were more frequent in children with multidrug-resistant typhoid. The final antibiotic required to render the children afebrile included ciprofloxacin (80), ceftriaxone, amoxycillin (4), chloramphenicol (4), amoxycillin and gentamicin (4), amoxycillin with chloramphenicol (2), and furazolidone (2). The defervesence time was least with ceftriaxone and greatest with amoxycillin. All the affected children made a complete recovery.

MeSH terms

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / pharmacology
  • Anti-Bacterial Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Drug Resistance, Microbial
  • Drug Resistance, Multiple*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • India
  • Male
  • Microbial Sensitivity Tests
  • Prospective Studies
  • Salmonella typhi / drug effects
  • Salmonella typhi / isolation & purification*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Typhoid Fever / blood
  • Typhoid Fever / drug therapy*

Substances

  • Anti-Bacterial Agents