A new study has raised global health concerns as typhoid fever an ancient yet deadly disease is mutating to resist even the most advanced antibiotics, including last-resort drugs once relied upon for treatment.
Caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid fever is now spreading at an alarming rate, especially in South Asia, with resistant strains being identified in blood samples collected across borders. Genetic tracking suggests that these superbugs have jumped between countries nearly 200 times since 1990, making containment a growing challenge.
Researchers warn that the new typhoid strains are no longer responding to fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins modern antibiotics typically used to treat severe infections. The implications are stark typhoid fever, which infects 11 million people and kills 100,000 annually, is on the brink of becoming untreatable in many regions.
Dr. Jason Andrews, an infectious disease expert from Stanford University, stressed the urgency of the situation. “The speed at which highly resistant strains of S. Typhi have emerged and spread in recent years is a real cause for concern. We must urgently expand prevention efforts, especially in countries most at risk,” he said.
The threat has been building for years. In 2016 Pakistan reported a super-resistant strain which by 2019 became the dominant type nationwide. Now with new evidence pointing to even stronger drug resistance the global medical community is sounding the alarm.
If left untreated, typhoid can kill up to 1 in 5 infected individuals. Although vaccines are available and can prevent outbreaks, access remains limited in low-income regions increasing the risk of future health emergencies.
The rise of antibiotic resistant typhoid serves as a sobering reminder without immediate global intervention, we may be confronting the return of ancient killers in new deadlier forms.