Just as the Ebola threat wanes, a new pathogen is reaching epidemic proportions across parts of Africa. To make matters worse, it's resistant to traditional antibiotics.
Salmonella typhi, the bacterium that causes the debilitating disease, typhoid fever, has shown up in a new strain. It began its trek in South Asia around 25 years ago and has now made its way into Africa. And according to Vanessa Wong, a microbiologist at the University of Cambridge in England, H58 has become one of the predominant forms.
"This multidrug-resistant strain, H58, is resistant to a number of first-line antibiotics used to treat the disease and is continuing to evolve and acquire new mutations to newer drugs," Wong said in an interview with Fox News, Austin.
Typhoid fever is a life-threatening illness that causes sustained fevers as high as 104° F (40° C). Weakness, headache, stomach pain and loss of appetite are also symptoms of the disease, which may be accompanied by a rash. The only way to truly diagnose the illness is through a stool sample, since fecal contamination is the bacterium's primary form of transmission.
Although typhoid fever is uncommon in the United States and most developed countries, undeveloped countries lacking proper water treatment and sewage disposal face serious threats. Approximately 20 to 30 million people are affected each year around the globe and the infection can persist for weeks or months. As many as 20% of patients die without proper treatment, usually in the form of antibiotics.
The latest research, published online May 11 in the journal Nature Genetics, tracked this particular drug-resistant strain from its origins in South Asia. Using genetic sequencing, a multinational team was able to trace the bacterium's path into Southeast Asia, Western Asia, East and South Africa and Fiji. It is now becoming widespread in multiple countries in Africa, which Fox News reports may represent an ongoing epidemic. Unfortunately, people in countries most at risk are usually treated with antibiotics, giving rise to drug resistant strains such as H58.
Up to 75% of cases in the United States occur in individuals travelling to affected countries (Asia, Africa, and Latin America), so before you venture forth, be sure to check out the travel guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Your best protection is the vaccine, which is about 50 - 80% affective against the disease and be sure to notify your doctor if you are symptomatic following travels abroad.
And should you find yourself in a region at risk, follow the CDC guidelines:
"Boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it!"
