Latest news with #XDRTyphi
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Deadly illness that kills 110,000 a year rapidly becoming resistant to antibiotics in terrifying mutation
An ancient killer has become all the more dangerous with time, mutating often to better sidestep medications. The bacterium that causes typhoid fever, Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S Typhi), has evolved to resist common antibiotics. In 2022, a group of researchers from around the world identified more than 4,000 strains obtained from blood samples from over 70 countries as extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Typhi. Drug-resistant strains have spread from country to country around 200 times since 1990. People infected with resistant typhoid carry it to new countries, while the global food trade spreads resistant bacteria to dense cities with poor sanitation accelerates the spread. Researchers warned that the most commonly used antibiotics, including Ampicillin, Chloramphenicol, and Azithromycin, may not save patients' lives like they used to. Approximately 5,700 Americans become ill each year, and 620 are hospitalized. Deaths from typhoid fever in the US are very infrequent. Dr Jason Andrews, a specialist in infectious diseases at Stanford University and lead author of the report, said the breakneck pace at which S. Typhi is spreading 'is a real cause for concern.' Typhoid fever sickens 11million people every year, causing fever, abdominal pain, and, if left untreated, intestinal bleeding and sepsis. It kills about 100,000 people annually. Around one in five people who are not treated for typhoid will die. When the genes of a strain of bacteria mutate to resist antibiotics, doctors have far fewer treatment options when patients present with typhoid symptoms. Researchers analyzed the genetics of over 7,600 samples of S. Typhi, including 3,489 samples from individuals with typhoid in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan from 2014 to 2019. They also looked at 4,169 older samples from more than 70 countries, some dating back to 1905. They pored over the bacteria's genetic blueprint to identify genes that can change the bacterial protein that antibiotics usually attack. This causes the bacteria to make enzymes that break down the drug, eject antibiotics before they work, or use alternative biochemical pathways. The team warned that typhoid-causing bacteria are mutating so rapidly that modern medicine can't keep up, stating that by the time scientists decide to use vaccines based on today's resistance data, it may already be too late. South Asia is a hotspot where resistance continues to develop and then spreads globally. Since 1990, strains resistant to the antibiotic class quinolones have evolved independently at least 94 times, with 97 percent of these cases originating in South Asia, specifically in countries such as India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. What began as localized resistance, affecting 85 percent of Bangladeshi typhoid cases by the early 2000s, exploded across the region, surpassing a 95 percent prevalence in India, Pakistan, and Nepal within a decade. The pattern repeats with newer drugs. Azithromycin resistance has emerged seven times since 2003, with Bangladeshi strains steadily proliferating since 2013, while resistance to last-line antibiotics cephalosporins now looms as the next frontier in the escalating crisis. While these strains most often occur within South Asia and spread from there to Southeast Asia, East Africa, and Southern Africa, they have also been reported in the US, UK and Canada. Dr Andrew said: 'The fact resistant strains of S. Typhi have spread internationally so many times also underscores the need to view typhoid control, and antibiotic resistance more generally, as a global rather than local problem.' The research was published in The Lancet Microbe journal. Typhoid is rare in the US, and cases typically arise after a person has traveled internationally. It primarily affects people in areas with poor sanitation, and children under five are more susceptible. In 2018, a Massachusetts daycare center temporarily closed after a child was diagnosed with typhoid, likely contracted during recent international travel. Typhoid fever spreads through fecal-oral transmission, meaning people ingest the bacteria Salmonella Typhi from food, water, or surfaces that have come in contact with fecal matter, such as eating food handled by someone with typhoid who didn't wash their hands after using the bathroom. The study has some gaps that need to be considered. Researchers lacked sufficient genetic data from key regions, particularly parts of Africa and Oceania, where typhoid is prevalent. Without more samples from these areas, it is more difficult to track how and when resistant strains spread. Even in countries with better monitoring, most samples are collected from just a few locations, which may not accurately reflect what is happening elsewhere. And since only a small fraction of typhoid cases get genetically tested, the true scale of antibiotic resistance and global spread is probably even worse than the numbers show. Researchers said THIS highlights the need 'to expand genomic surveillance to provide a more comprehensive window into the emergence, expansion, and spread of antibiotic-resistant organisms.'
India.com
17-07-2025
- Health
- India.com
Silent Tsunami: The Return Of A Killer Germ That No Drug Can Stop
New Delhi: In the world of medicine, some enemies disappear quietly. Others evolve, hide in plain sight and return stronger. Typhoid fever is one of them. Once tamed by antibiotics, this ancient killer is back with a vengeance. It does not knock. It does not wait. And this time, the drugs do not work. In hospitals across the United Kingdom (England, Wales and Northern Ireland), a pattern has begun to emerge. Not a fluke. Not a seasonal spike. But a steady and quiet surge. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has reported 702 confirmed cases of typhoid and its cousin, paratyphoid fever, in 2024 alone. That is an 8% jump from the year before. It is the highest count ever seen. The source is not homegrown. This is not an outbreak tied to any one British city. Most of the infections were picked up abroad. Travellers are bringing it back, unwittingly, after visiting regions where the disease still thrives in water and food. But now there is a new twist – the old treatments no longer work. Typhoid is morphing into something scientists fear – a resistant and borderless predator. Much of the threat today comes from Pakistan, where doctors are facing a terrifying challenge. The typhoid strain spreading there is no longer afraid of our antibiotics. Not even the newest ones. This strain, now called extensively drug-resistant Typhi or XDR Typhi, does not respond to the usual weapons – ampicillin, chloramphenicol, trimethoprim, fluoroquinolones or even cephalosporins. These used to be life-savers. Now they barely scratch the surface. A team of researchers led by Stanford's Dr. Jason Andrews studied nearly 3,500 bacterial samples collected from Nepal, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan between 2014 and 2019. What they saw was eye-opening. The number of drug-defiant typhoid strains is growing fast. They are replacing treatable ones. And they are not staying local. The study revealed something more chilling – these mutated bacteria are on the move. Since 1990, scientists have tracked nearly 200 instances of international spread. Southeast Asia. East Africa. Southern Africa. And now, Western countries. Yes, even in the United Kingdom, the United States and Canada, typhoid superbugs are starting to show up. Every plane ticket. Every border crossing. Every contaminated sip or bite. The bacteria need only one chance. Globally, typhoid and paratyphoid infect around 13 million people every year. Over 1.3 lakh people lose their lives, most of them children in Asia and Africa. Despite its scale, typhoid rarely makes headlines. But that silence is dangerous. Especially now. The only treatment left is oral antibiotics. But their power is fading. Over three decades, the bacteria have gradually built resistance. They have learned. Adapted. And now, they are spreading those learnings across borders. The UKHSA data is just one part of the puzzle. Researchers say there are large blind spots, particularly in regions like sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. We simply do not have enough bacterial samples from these places. Even in better-monitored countries, the samples usually come from just a handful of sites. That is like trying to map a wildfire by staring at a single tree. That lack of information means something troubling – we may be underestimating the scale of resistance and how fast it is travelling. The bacteria's genes and the mutations that make it immune are quietly crossing oceans. And we are not watching closely enough. Dr. Andrews calls this a 'real cause for concern'. He is not exaggerating. The way these strains have spread shows that typhoid control is a global emergency. Surveillance needs to expand. So do new treatment strategies. And vaccines need to reach where the outbreak begins, not where it ends. We live in an age of mobility. People, goods and germs travel faster than ever.
Time of India
16-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Ancient killer drug-resistant typhoid strains is becoming untreatable and spreading across the globe; study warns
Drug-resistant typhoid fever is spreading rapidly across borders, raising concerns among scientists and public health authorities. A recent UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) report has identified a troubling rise in typhoid and paratyphoid fever cases, particularly in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now These infections, traditionally associated with poor sanitation in developing countries, are now resurfacing with a vengeance, this time in the form of extensively drug-resistant (XDR) typhoid strains. Driven by antibiotic resistance and global travel, these Salmonella Typhi superbugs are posing a major challenge to current treatment protocols. Experts warn that the clock is ticking to contain the spread before it becomes a full-blown global crisis. Drug-resistant typhoid becomes global threat, study warns A groundbreaking 2022 study found that S. Typhi is developing resistance to nearly all classes of commonly used oral antibiotics. Researchers analysed 3,489 bacterial genomes from India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bangladesh. The results showed a dramatic rise in XDR strains—those resistant to older drugs like ampicillin and chloramphenicol, and newer ones such as fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins. Perhaps most concerning is the worldwide spread of these superbugs. The study documented at least 197 instances of international dissemination of XDR Typhi since 1990. These strains have moved beyond South Asia to East and Southern Africa, Southeast Asia, and even into Western countries like the UK, USA, and Canada. The scale and speed of this spread indicate that antibiotic-resistant typhoid is no longer a regional issue—it is a global emergency. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Lead author Dr. Jason Andrews of Stanford University warned that the rapid evolution and spread of drug-resistant typhoid demand immediate international intervention. He emphasised that containment efforts must go beyond national borders and include vaccination, sanitation improvements, genomic surveillance, and new drug development. UK records Typhoid surge in 2024 underscoring global health risk The UKHSA's 2024 data recorded 702 typhoid cases, marking an 8% increase from 2023—the highest number ever documented. Though most infections were acquired abroad, this spike emphasizes the global nature of the threat. Typhoid and paratyphoid fever are caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi and are typically spread through contaminated food or water. According to the BBC, typhoid and paratyphoid; a fever caused nearly 13 million infections and 133,000 deaths annually. These diseases disproportionately affect school-aged children in Asia and Africa, though they are increasingly seen in wealthier nations due to intercontinental travel and migration. Despite their persistence, these illnesses often remain neglected by health systems in developed countries. Poor data undermines fight against drug-resistant typhoid The study also highlights data limitations. Several regions, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania, are underrepresented in genomic databases. Most available samples come from limited surveillance sites, meaning that current estimates likely understate the true scale of drug-resistant typhoid's spread. Scientists are calling for expanded genomic sequencing and international data sharing to track and curb these deadly strains more effectively. With antibiotic resistance rising, XDR typhoid now represents one of the biggest microbial threats of our time. While vaccines and improved public health systems can slow its advance, only a coordinated, global effort will prevent this ancient killer from claiming more lives in a modern world ill-prepared for it. Also Read |
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Ancient Killer Is Rapidly Becoming Resistant to Antibiotics, Warns Study
In spite of having plagued humans for millennia, typhoid fever is rarely considered in developed countries today. But this ancient threat is still very much a danger in our modern world. According to research published in 2022, the bacterium that causes typhoid fever is evolving extensive drug resistance, and is rapidly replacing strains that aren't resistant. Currently, antibiotics are the only way to effectively treat typhoid, which is caused by the bacterium Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S Typhi). Yet over the past three decades, the bacterium's resistance to oral antibiotics has been growing and spreading. In their study, researchers sequenced the genomes of 3,489 S Typhi strains contracted from 2014 to 2019 in Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India, and found a rise in extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Typhi. XDR Typhi is not only impervious to frontline antibiotics, like ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, but it is also growing resistant to newer antibiotics, like fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins. Related: Even worse, these strains are spreading globally at a rapid rate. While most XDR Typhi cases stem from south Asia, researchers have identified nearly 200 instances of international spread since 1990. Most strains have been exported to Southeast Asia, as well as East and Southern Africa, but typhoid superbugs have also been found in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. "The speed at which highly-resistant strains of S Typhi have emerged and spread in recent years is a real cause for concern, and highlights the need to urgently expand prevention measures, particularly in countries at greatest risk," said infectious disease specialist Jason Andrews from Stanford University at the time the results were published. Scientists have been warning about drug-resistant typhoid for years now. In 2016, the first XDR typhoid strain was identified in Pakistan. By 2019, it had become the dominant genotype in the nation. Historically, most XDR typhoid strains have been fought with third-generation antimicrobials, like quinolones, cephalosporins, and macrolides. But by the early 2000s, mutations that confer resistance to quinolones accounted for more than 85 percent of all cases in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, and Singapore. At the same time, cephalosporin resistance was also taking over. Today, only one oral antibiotic is left: the macrolide, azithromycin. And this medicine might not work for much longer. The 2022 study found mutations that confer resistance to azithromycin are now also spreading, "threatening the efficacy of all oral antimicrobials for typhoid treatment". While these mutations have not yet been adopted by XDR S Typhi, if they are, we are in serious trouble. If untreated, up to 20 percent of typhoid cases can be fatal, and today, there are 11 million cases of typhoid a year. Future outbreaks can be prevented to some extent with typhoid conjugate vaccines, but if access to these shots is not expanded globally, the world could soon have another health crisis on its hands. "The recent emergence of XDR and azithromycin-resistant S Typhi creates greater urgency for rapidly expanding prevention measures, including use of typhoid conjugate vaccines in typhoid-endemic countries," the authors write. "Such measures are needed in countries where antimicrobial resistance prevalence among S Typhi isolates is currently high, but given the propensity for international spread, should not be restricted to such settings." South Asia might be the main hub for typhoid fever, accounting for 70 percent of all cases, but if COVID-19 taught us anything, it is that disease variants in our modern, globalized world are easily spread. To prevent that from happening, health experts argue nations must expand access to typhoid vaccines and invest in new antibiotic research. One recent study in India, for instance, estimates that if children are vaccinated against typhoid in urban areas, it could prevent up to 36 percent of typhoid cases and deaths. Pakistan is currently leading the way on this front. It was the first nation in the world to offer routine immunization for typhoid. Health experts argue more nations need to follow suit. Antibiotic resistance is one of the world's leading causes of death, claiming the lives of more people than HIV/ AIDS or malaria. Where available, vaccines are some of the best tools we have to prevent future catastrophe. We don't have time to waste. The study was published in The Lancet Microbe. An earlier version of this article was published in June 2022. Nicotine Pouches Poisoning Children at an Alarming Rate in The US Study Reveals How Long We Need to Walk to Prevent Chronic Back Pain This Is What Happens to Your Body When You Stop Drinking Alcohol
NDTV
15-07-2025
- Health
- NDTV
Ancient Killer That Doctors Can No Longer Stop Is Spreading Worldwide: Study
A recent study warns that typhoid fever, an ancient disease that has plagued humanity for millennia, is rapidly evolving dangerous resistance to available antibiotics. While often overlooked in developed nations, this persistent threat remains a significant danger, particularly in our modern interconnected world. Research published in 2022 indicates that Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S Typhi), the bacterium responsible for typhoid, is developing extensive drug resistance. This concerning trend sees highly resistant strains quickly replacing those that can still be treated with existing medications. Currently, antibiotics are the sole effective treatment for typhoid. However, over the past three decades, S. Typhi's resistance to commonly used oral antibiotics has steadily increased and spread. The study, which analyzed the genetic makeup of 3,489 S. Typhi strains collected between 2014 and 2019 from Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India, revealed a significant rise in extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Typhi. These XDR strains are not only immune to older, frontline antibiotics such as ampicillin, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole but are also showing increasing resistance to newer, critical antibiotics like fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins. Compounding the problem, these highly resistant strains are spreading globally at an alarming pace. While the majority of XDR Typhi cases originate from South Asia, researchers have documented nearly 200 instances of international dissemination since 1990. The spread has primarily extended to Southeast Asia, as well as East and Southern Africa, with some typhoid "superbugs" also detected in Western countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, and Canada. This global spread underscores the urgent need for heightened surveillance and new treatment strategies. Lead author, Dr Jason Andrews, Stanford University (USA), says: "The speed at which highly-resistant strains of S. Typhi have emerged and spread in recent years is a real cause for concern, and highlights the need to urgently expand prevention measures, particularly in countries at greatest risk. At the same time, the fact resistant strains of S. Typhi have spread internationally so many times also underscores the need to view typhoid control, and antibiotic resistance more generally, as a global rather than local problem."
