In Bangladesh, a new way to map typhoid promises to aid vaccination strategy design

Challenges exist in deploying vaccines effectively due to difficulties tracking Salmonella Typhi. However, Dr. Senjuti Saha from the Child Health Research Foundation in Dhaka suggests using Salmonella Typhi-specific bacteriophages for tracking.
Dr. Saha and her team have developed an innovative surveillance method using a proxy indicator to detect Salmonella Typhi in urban settings. Samples collected from drains are filtered and enriched to detect Salmonella Typhi-specific bacteriophages in the lab. The presence of these bacteriophages can indicate the presence of Salmonella Typhi in the area, helping to understand the burden of typhoid fever.
“We hope that our new method of surveillance can provide a clear idea of existence of the Salmonella Typhi bacteria in urban settings, which is very applicable to decide the strategy of vaccination against typhoid fever in any country,” Dr. Saha stated.