Current antibiotic use in the treatment of enteric fever in children

A study conducted at a tertiary care hospital in North India examined current antibiotic use in children with typhoid fever, amid growing concerns of antimicrobial resistance. Among 128 children studied, 45% were culture positive, with Salmonella Typhi accounting for 68% of cases and S. Paratyphi A for 32%. Hospitalized patients (n=30) had a mean fever duration of 9.5 days and an average stay of 10 days, receiving ceftriaxone for an average of six days. In the outpatient department (n=98), cefixime was the most prescribed antibiotic. Around 10% of patients showed clinical non-response, requiring additional antibiotics. The findings suggest ceftriaxone and cefixime remain first-line therapies for pediatric typhoid fever, but resistance and treatment failure warrant careful monitoring.