An ancient disease evolves faster than expected, threatening our ability to combat it. New research shows a worrying resistance to essential antibiotics, putting millions of people in danger.
Patient, admitted to the hospital with photo fever: archive, truth
Typhoid fever, a disease that is formerly under control, quickly turns into a threat to world health. The bacteria responsible for this disease, Salmonella Enterica Serovar Typhi (S Typhi), becomes more and more resistant to antibiotics, according to Dailymail.
Although it is rare in developed countries, typhoid remains a persistent problem in developing regions, especially in South Asia. According to a study published in The Lancet Microbe, this ancient pathogen develops antibiotic resistance, which makes it harder to treat and represents an increasing risk worldwide.
Increasing drug resistance
According to the quoted publication, in the last three decades, the resistance of the antibiotic bacterium has increased and spread. The study, which sequested the genome of 3,489 stems collected between 2014 and 2019 in Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, found a worrying increase in extremely resistant to drugs.
Research indicates that bacteria is not resistant to first -line antibiotics, such as ampicillin, chloramfenicol and trimetoprim/sulfametoxazole, but also to fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins of the third generation. These new stems, which are now spread in South Asia, evolve faster than previously anticipated, replacing less resistant stems.
In their report, the researchers emphasized the alarming speed with which these resistant stems spread.
“The speed with which the very resistant S Typhi stems have appeared and spread in recent years is a real concern.”said Jason Andrews, a specialist in infectious diseases at Stanford University, one of the authors of the study.
A global increasing threat
Although most cases of XDR typhoid fever come from South Asia, especially from Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India, these resistant stems have already begun to spread worldwide.
Since 1990, almost 200 cases of international spread have been identified, these stems appearing in Southeast Asia, East and South Africa and even in more developed regions, such as the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada.
This rapid spread emphasizes the global nature of the problem, signaling that no country is protected from the consequences of the resistant typhus. The international transmission of these superbactors highlights a serious public health problem. “The recent appearance of S TYPHI XDR and resistant to azithromycin creates greater emergency for the rapid extension of prevention measures ”the authors of the study wrote.
This global distribution of resistant stems suggests that, without intervention, several countries may soon be facing outbreaks that could be difficult to control.
Anti -phypid vaccination
As the fight against typhoid fever is becoming more and more difficult, the number of effective treatments decreases constantly. From a historical point of view, azithromycin was the last oral antibiotic remaining effective in treating typhoid fever. However, the study shows that mutations that give resistance to azithromycin are currently spreading in some parts of South Asia.
Although these mutations have not yet developed fully in XDR stems, the research warns that if these mutations continue to spread, “threatening the effectiveness of all oral antimicrobials for the treatment of typhoid fever ”health systems would remain with few viable options.
The occurrence of azithromycin resistance has aroused serious concerns, especially given that untreated typhoid fever can lead to fatal results in up to 20% of cases.
Currently, 11 million cases of typhoid fever are registered annually, which makes this resistance increase a critical problem for world health.
Vaccination as a critical measure
The urgency of extending vaccination efforts has never been greater. In countries where antibiotic resistance is galloping, tifoid fever conjugated vaccines could play a crucial role in controlling the spread of the disease.
Pakistan has already become a leader in this area, being the first nation to implement routine immunization against typhus.
Experts argue that increasing access to these vaccines could significantly reduce the incidence of typhoid fever. A study in India estimated that vaccination of children in urban areas could prevent up to 36% of typhoid fever and deaths, a potential savior in regions most affected by this disease.
In their study, the authors emphasize the need to expand vaccination programs in countries where antimicrobial resistance is high, but also to ensure global access to these vaccines.
“Such measures are needed in the countries where the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among S Typhi isolates is currently high, but given the tendency to spread international, it should not be limited to these environments,” they wrote.
Vaccination remains one of the most effective ways to prevent typhoid fever, especially in the context of decreasing antibiotic efficacy.
Researchers and health experts point out that rapid and large vaccination efforts are essential to prevent future outbreaks and to brake the world -resistant typhus spread.
