In vitro activity of cefixime versus ceftizoxime against Salmonella typhi.

Emergence of multi-resistant strains of Salmonella typhi is a major problem in treatment of typhoid fever and requires an excessive hospitalization period. Therefore, the present study was carried out to estimate the degree of the resistance of S. typhi strains to various antibiotics such as cefixime. Fifty two strains of Salmonella typhi isolated from patients with typhoid fever and their sensitivity to various antibiotics was determined. MICs of cefixime and chloramphenicol were also determined according to comitee de l'antibiogramme français. Results indicated that 41.9%, 33.9%, 38.7%, 58.1% and 1.6% of isolated strains were resistant to chloramphenicol, co-trimoxazole, ampicillin, tetracycline and gentamycin respectively. About one third (33.9%) of strains showed multiple resistance to the first four mentioned antibiotics. All strains were susceptible to ceftizoxime and cefixime (MICs 1 and less than 1 mcg/ml). It could be concluded that cefixime due to its effectiveness, oral administration and shorter courses of treatment could be the therapy of choice in cases of typhoid fever caused by multiple resistant strains especially when we have a shortage of hospital beds.