Antimicrobial susceptibility of 128 Salmonella enterica serovar typhi and paratyphi A isolates from northern India

Most systemic Salmonella enterica serovar typhi and paratyphi A infections diagnosed in the United States (up to 70%) are acquired during travel to regions of high endemicity. Increasing resistance to agents commonly used for the treatment of such infections (including multidrug resistant isolates) is being reported from several areas of the world (Southeast Asia, Africa, Latin America). Since regional differences in susceptibility patterns may exist, we sought to determine the frequency of antimicrobial resistance among blood and stool isolates (n = 128) from patients in Northwestern India. Salmonella enterica serotype typhi (n = 101) isolates from 14 patients were susceptible to all agents tested. Among 55 isolates with single drug resistance, 44 (81%) were resistant to chloramphenicol. Multidrug resistant (>/=3 drugs) Salmonella enterica was more common in pediatric patients (10 of 30) compared to adults (10 of 71 patients; p = 0.05). All isolates (S. enterica serovar typhi and serovar paratyphi A) were susceptible to ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone. Travelers to Northwestern India may still receive trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, or ciprofloxacin for effective chemoprophylaxis if indicated. Ceftriaxone and ciprofloxacin remain favorable choices for treatment of patients with enteric fever in this region.