CDC releases guidance on treating drug-resistant typhoid fever

Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released guidance on treating extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Salmonella Typhi, which causes typhoid fever. Nine U.S. residents infected with the disease in 2020 reported no travel outside the United States, where the disease is usually contracted. Among other recommendations, the CDC advised clinicians to obtain a travel history from anyone with suspected typhoid fever and using “a carbapenem, azithromycin, or both agents for suspected typhoid fever in patients who did not travel out of the United States and for those who traveled to Pakistan or Iraq.” (CDC Health Advisory, 2/12/21)