Multidrug-resistant typhoid fever in Singapore

A study was conducted to determine the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of multidrug-resistant (MDR) typhoid fever in Singapore. Twenty-one of 121 patients with typhoid fever had MDR typhoid fever after recent travel to the Indian subcontinent. Fifty patients with drug susceptible typhoid fever were also analysed for comparison. Nineteen of the MDR S. typhi isolates had resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol and trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) while the remainder had resistance to ampicillin and TMP-SMX. The predominant presenting symptoms were fever and diarrhoea. Eleven patients with MDR typhoid fever were treated with oral ciprofloxacin and nine with intravenous ceftriaxone. The patients with MDR typhoid fever had a longer duration of fever defervescence (8 +/- 5 days) compared to those with drug-susceptible typhoid fever (5.7 +/- 4.16 days) (p < 0.01). Eighteen patients were cured and one patient defaulted treatment. Two patients relapsed within two months of treatment. The study showed that 17.4% of patients with typhoid fever had imported MDR S. typhi after recent travel to the Indian subcontinent where MDR typhoid fever is prevalent.