Typhoid fever medical therapy

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]

Medical therapy

Typhoid fever in most cases is not fatal. Antibiotics, such as ampicillin, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, and ciprofloxacin, have been commonly used to treat typhoid fever in developed countries. Prompt treatment of the disease with antibiotics reduces the case-fatality rate to approximately 1%.

When untreated, typhoid fever persists for three weeks to a month. Death occurs in between 10% and 30% of untreated cases. Vaccines for typhoid fever are available and are advised for persons traveling in regions where the disease is common (especially Asia, Africa and Latin America). Typhim Vi is an intramuscular killed-bacteria vaccination and Vivotif is an oral live bacteria vaccination, both of which protect against typhoid fever. Neither vaccine is 100% effective against typhoid fever and neither protects against unrelated typhus.

Resistance

Resistance to ampicillin, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and streptomycin is now common, and these agents have not been used as first line treatment now for almost 20 years. Typhoid that is resistant to these agents is known as multidrug-resistant] typhoid (MDR typhoid).

Ciprofloxacin resistance is an increasing problem, especially in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Many centres are therefore moving away from using ciprofloxacin as first line for treating suspected typhoid originating in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand or Vietnam. For these patients, the recommended first line treatment is ceftriaxone.

There is a separate problem with laboratory testing for reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin: current recommendations are that isolates should be tested simultaneously against ciprofloxacin (CIP) and against nalidixic acid (NAL), and that isolates that are sensitive to both CIP and NAL should be reported as "sensitive to ciprofloxacin", but that isolates testing sensitive to CIP but not to NAL should be reported as "reduced sensitivity to ciprofloxacin". However, an analysis of 271 isolates showed that around 18% of isolates with a reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin (MIC 0.125–1.0 mg/l) would not be picked up by this method. It not certain how this problem can be solved, because most laboratories around the world (including the West) are dependent disc testing and cannot test for MICs.

Antimicrobial regimen

• Typhoid fever

• Uncomplicated typhoid

• Preferred regimen (1) (fully susceptible): Fluoroquinolone (e.g., Ofloxacin 15 mg/kg PO qd for 5–7 days)
• Preferred regimen (2) (multi drug-resistant): Fluoroquinolone (Ofloxacin 15 mg/kg PO qd for 5–7 days)
• Preferred regimen (3) (quinolone-resistant): Azithromycin 8–10 mg/kg PO qd for 7 days
• Preferred regimen (4) (quinolone-resistant): Fluoroquinolone 20 mg/kg PO qd for 10-14 days
• Alternative regimen (1) (fully susceptible): Chloramphenicol 50–75 mg/kg PO qd for 14-21 days
• Alternative regimen (2) (fully susceptible): Amoxicillin 75–100 mg/kg PO qd for 14 days
• Alternative regimen (3) (fully susceptible): Trimethoprim–Sulfamethoxazole, 8 mg/kg (trimethoprim)– 40 mg/kg (sulfamethoxazole) PO qd for 14 days
• Alternative regimen (4) (multi drug-resistant): Azithromycin 8–10 mg/kg PO for 7 days
• Alternative regimen (5) (multi drug-resistant): Third-generation cephalosporin, e.g., Cefixime 20 mg/kg PO qd for 7-14 days
• Alternative regimen (6) (quinolone-resistant): Third-generation cephalosporin, e.g., Cefixime 20 mg/kg PO qd for 7-14 days

• Severe typhoid

• Preferred regimen (1) (fully susceptible): Fluoroquinolone (e.g., Ofloxacin 15 mg/kg IV qd for 10-14 days)
• Preferred regimen (2) (multi drug-resistant): Fluoroquinolone (Ofloxacin 15 mg/kg IV qd for 10-14 days)
• Preferred regimen (3) (quinolone-resistant): Ceftriaxone 60 mg/kg IV qd for 10-14 days
• Preferred regimen (4) (quinolone-resistant): Cefotaxime 80 mg/kg IV qd for 10-14 days
• Alternative regimen (1) (fully susceptible): Chloramphenicol 100 mg/kg PO qd for 14-21 days
• Alternative regimen (2) (fully susceptible): Ampicillin 100 mg/kg PO qd for 14-21 days
• Alternative regimen (3) (fully susceptible): Trimethoprim–Sulfamethoxazole, 8 mg/kg (trimethoprim)– 40 mg/kg (sulfamethoxazole) IV qd for 10-14 days
• Alternative regimen (4) (multi drug-resistant): Ceftriaxone 60 mg/kg IV qd for 10-14 days
• Alternative regimen (5) (multi drug-resistant): Cefotaxime 80 mg/kg IV qd for 10-14 days
• Alternative regimen (6) (quinolone-resistant): Fluoroquinolone 20 mg/kg IV qd for 10-14 days