CDC Warns of Drug-Resistant form of Typhoid Fever

A drug-resistant form of Salmonella entericaserotype Typhi(Typhi)emerged in Pakistan and led to a typhoid fever outbreak in 2018, according to the January 11, 2019, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This particular strain was found to be resistant to chloramphenicol, ampicillin, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, fluoroquinolones, and third-generation cephalosporins, CDC said. In response to these reports, CDC began surveillance on U.S. patients who had typhoid fever and had travelled to and from Pakistan from 2016 to 2018. CDC identified 29 such patients; five were found to be infected with the resistant strain.