Typhoid could be latest medical risk to UK as strains build tolerance to antibiotics

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Typhoid could be the next medical crisis in store for the UK, as the ancient illness is building a resistance to the medication that treats it.The highly contagious bacterial infection has been around for more than 1,000 years and antibiotics are the only way to effectively treat Typhoid.But researchers say the Typhoid bacterium is evolving to become more drug-resistant, Wales Online reports.Earlier this week, Polio was detected in Britain for the first time in ten years, with experts declaring a national incident.Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S Typhi),the bacterium that causes Typhoid, has reportedly been building up its resistance to oral antibiotics for the last 30 years.After sequencing genomes of 3,489 different S Typhi strains contracted from 2014 to 2019 in Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India, experts found that one strain particular strain was very resistant.Called (XDR) Typhi, it is not only resistant to trademark antibiotics such as ampicillin and chloramphenicol, but is also building up a resilience to newer drugs too.These include treatments such as fluoroquinolones and third-generation cephalosporins.XDR Typhi cases are on the rise globally and while it is mainly found in Asia, health chiefs have warned it represents a global threat, including to the UK.The World Health Organisation (WHO) has designated antibiotic resistance as a global health emergency.Jason Andrews, an infectious disease specialist from Stanford University in the US, said: "The speed at which highly-resistant strains of S Typhi have emerged and spread in recent years is a real cause for concern.It highlights the need to urgently expand prevention measures, particularly in countries at greatest risk."The latest development follows