A study of current trends in enteric fever

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Microbiology
• Clinical Medicine

Background:

• Enteric fever, a serious bacterial infection, poses a significant global health challenge.
• Antimicrobial resistance in enteric fever pathogens necessitates ongoing surveillance and treatment guideline evaluation.
• Understanding current antibiotic susceptibility patterns is crucial for effective clinical management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the antibiotic susceptibility patterns of blood culture-proven enteric fever cases.
• To assess the efficacy of commonly used antibiotics, including chloramphenicol, ampicillin, and cotrimoxazole.
• To identify emerging resistance trends and effective treatment options for enteric fever.

Main Methods:

• A retrospective study analyzing 68 cases of blood culture-proven enteric fever.
• Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed for various antibiotics.
• Clinical features and complications were documented and compared between groups.

Main Results:

• Sensitivity rates were 55.88% for chloramphenicol, 54.41% for ampicillin, and 38.23% for cotrimoxazole.
• While most cases showed sensitivity to chloramphenicol and ampicillin, 21.05% of chloramphenicol-sensitive cases were resistant to cefotaxime.
• All enteric fever isolates remained sensitive to ciprofloxacin.

Conclusions:

• A significant proportion of enteric fever cases remain sensitive to chloramphenicol and ampicillin, suggesting their continued utility in specific contexts.
• Emerging resistance to third-generation cephalosporins like cefotaxime warrants careful monitoring.
• Ciprofloxacin demonstrates excellent activity against enteric fever pathogens, highlighting its role as a reliable treatment option.