Decrease of antibiotic resistance in Salmonella typhi isolated from patients attending hospitals of Dhaka City over a 3 year period

Salmonella typhi is an important cause of enteric fever in Bangladesh. Resi stance to commonly used antibiotics like cotrimoxazole and ampicillin has l ed to the introduction of third generation cephalosporins and fluoroquinolo nes for the treatment of enteric fever. Prescription patterns for enteric f evers and for other infections have been changing and so we looked at the a ntibiotic resistance of S. typhi isolated from patients in and around Dhaka City from 1996-1998. The study showed a gradual change in resistance to am picillin and cotrimoxazole among S. typhi in our area. The rate of resistan ce to cotrimoxazole, ampicillin and chloramphenicol decreased from 59.6 to 5.6% in S. typhi over a 3 year period. The extensive use of third generatio n cephalosporins and fluoroquinolones. in place of conventional antibiotics , has probably influenced the change in resistance pattern in S. typhi. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. and international Society of Chemotherapy. All rights reserved.