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Typhoid fever remains a major public health problem in the developing world with very poor estimates of the number of cases and deaths annually. Continued research on the epidemiology, ecology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of typhoid can most optimally be pursued in the endemic regions which, unfortunately, also suffer from a lack of research capacity, funding support, and institutional infrastructure. Much needs to be done to promote and strengthen typhoid fever and other infectious disease research in these regions if true progress is to be made. It is thus reassuring to see that the two special issues of JIDC on enteric fever contain so many regional reviews written by scientists based in, and mainly from, developing countries. There is a great deal of very valuable and unique information in these articles. In Indonesia, Hatta et al. explain the increasing problems on the island of Sulawesi where resistance to Salmonella Typhi has only developed very recently. Yang et al. in China describe the increasing problems associated with Salmonella Paratyphi A, a serovar which-at least for isolates from the Aga Khan University laboratories in Karachi, Pakistan-was resistant to multiple antibiotics (MDR) but is now becoming susceptible once again. This is at the same time and in the same population as increasing MDR in S. Typhi. Information across sub-Saharan Africa is very scarce and the issues clearly require urgent and rapid action, particularly in Malawi, where the burden of non-typhoidal Salmonella is increasing, and in East Africa (Ethiopia and Kenya) which seems to have a high burden of typhoid fever.. India and Nepal remain major focal points for typhoid and paratyphoid fever and even in southern Europe (Italy) transmission is occurring.

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2009-03-10   |   966 visitas   |   Evalua este artículo 0 valoraciones

Vol. 2 Núm.6. Diciembre 2008 Pags. 411. J Infect Developing Countries 2008; 2(6)