Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
The first-line antibiotic for enteric fever isn't working anymore. A new CDC-backed study found that the vast majority of US enteric fever cases — mostly tied to travel to South Asia — showed resistance to ciprofloxacin, the longtime standard treatment. Doctors are now being urged to skip fluoroquinolones and tailor treatment to lab results and travel history.
The first-line antibiotic for typhoid fever is losing its edge in the US. A new study published in JAMA Network Open by CDC researchers analyzed over 2,300 US enteric fever cases from 2016 to 2020 and found alarming rates of antibiotic resistance. Most cases were linked to international travel — particularly to India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh — where drug-resistant strains have been spreading rapidly.
The findings are a wake-up call for clinicians treating returning travelers. With nearly 8 million enteric fever cases occurring globally each year, and a highly drug-resistant XDR strain of Salmonella Typhi first identified in Pakistan in 2016, the resistance picture has shifted dramatically from what it was just a decade ago.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: Ciprofloxacin has been the go-to treatment for enteric fever since the 1980s, but these findings suggest it can no longer be relied upon as an empiric first choice. Clinicians should base treatment on susceptibility testing and travel history — and pre-travel typhoid vaccination remains a key prevention tool.
