AUTHORS
ABSTRACT
Objectives: Enteric fever remains an important diagnostic and treatment challenge in febrile children living in the tropics. In the context of a national Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi A outbreak, this retrospective study objective was to compare features of S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A infections in Cambodian children.
Methods: Clinical and laboratory features were reviewed for 192 blood culture-confirmed children with S. Typhi and S. Paratyphi A infection presenting to a paediatric referral hospital in Siem Reap, 2012 – 2016.
Results: Children with S. Typhi infection were younger, were more likely to have chills and/or diarrhoea, and were more frequently hospitalised than those with S. Paratyphi A. Over three quarters (88.3%) of S. Typhi isolates were multi-drug resistant, compared to none of the S. Paratyphi A.
Conclusion: In this small study of Cambodian children, Salmonella Typhi infections were more severe than S. Paratyphi A. Antibiotic resistance limits treatment options for enteric fever in this population.
Click here to read the article, published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.
