A total of 217 and 73 strains of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi isolated from 1985 to 1997 in Hong Kong and in 2 months of 1989 and 1990 in Vietnam, respectively, were studied. These isolates were typed by plasmid profile analysis, plasmid fingerprinting, ribotyping with PstI, and total DNA fingerprinting with NarI. There appeared to be no major outbreak of typhoid fever in Hong Kong during the study period since there was considerable heterogeneity among the isolates. Isolates from Hong Kong were different from those from Vietnam. Thirty-seven percent of Vietnamese isolates belonged to two predominant clones, with the rest being heterogeneous in nature. Total DNA fingerprinting supplemented with ribotyping could be a reliable and rapid method for epidemiological typing of S. enterica serotype Typhi.

The aim of the study was to document the effects of short courses of fluoroquinolones given during an outbreak of multidrug resistant typhoid fever in southern Viet Nam on the growth of children over a period of two years. In a prospective cohort study, 326 Vietnamese children aged between 1 and 14 years were followed up for two years after receiving either ciprofloxacin (70 mg/kg given over 7 d) (n = 173) or ofloxacin (45-50 mg/kg given over 3-5 d) (n = 153) for suspected typhoid fever. Growth velocity and weight for height were compared with an age matched control group of children from the same locality (n = 223) who had not contracted typhoid or received any fluoroquinolones. In the ofloxacin and ciprofloxacin treated patients there was no evidence of acute joint toxicity, nor of any joint symptoms attributable to either of the fluoroquinolones. There was no difference in expected weight for height measurements between the three groups of children over the two year period. During the first year, height velocity in ciprofloxacin treated children was greater than in either ofloxacin treated children or untreated controls. Height velocity in the latter two groups was not significantly different. After two years height velocity was similar in the three groups. The results support the use of short course fluoroquinolone treatment in childhood typhoid, especially when caused by strains resistant to other antibiotics.

In recent years, multiresistant strains of Salmonella typhi have emerged in many tropical countries. These strains remain highly sensitive to the fluoroquinolone antibiotics, although use of these drugs by children is considered contraindicated because of their reported toxicity in the cartilage of experimental animals. In a paired, open, randomized study during an epidemic of multidrug-resistant typhoid in southern Vietnam, two short-course ofloxacin regimens (15 mg/kg daily for 3 days and 10 mg/kg daily for 5 days) were compared for the treatment of uncomplicated typhoid fever. Of 438 patients enrolled (of whom 286 were < or = 14 years old), 228 had blood cultures positive for Salmonella species (S. typhi, 207; S. paratyphi A, 19; and S. choleraesuis, 2). There was one treatment failure in a patient who took only one dose of ofloxacin. Otherwise, both regimens were completely effective; there were no proven carriers, and there was no evidence of toxicity, particularly in children. A 3-day course of ofloxacin proved to be safe and highly effective in the treatment of uncomplicated, multidrug-resistant typhoid fever.

Journal Article A randomized comparative study of fleroxacin and ceftriaxone in enteric fever Get access Tran Tinh Hien, Tran Tinh Hien ∗ Centre for Tropical Diseases, Cho Quan Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam ∗Address for correspondence: Dr Tran Tinh Hien, Cho Quan Hospital, 190 Hen Ham Tu, Quan 5, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Nguyen Minh Duong, Nguyen Minh Duong Centre for Tropical Diseases, Cho Quan Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Huynh Duy Ha, Huynh Duy Ha Centre for Tropical Diseases, Cho Quan Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Nguyen Thi Tuyet Hoa, Nguyen Thi Tuyet Hoa Centre for Tropical Diseases, Cho Quan Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar To Song Diep, To Song Diep Centre for Tropical Diseases, Cho Quan Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Le Thi Phi, Le Thi Phi Centre for Tropical Diseases, Cho Quan Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Keith Arnold Keith Arnold Centre for Tropical Diseases, Cho Quan Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 88, Issue 4, July-August 1994, Pages 464–465, https://doi.org/10.1016/0035-9203(94)90435-9 Published: 01 July 1994 Article history Received: 01 September 1993 Revision received: 29 November 1993 Accepted: 30 November 1993 Published: 01 July 1994