Chloramphenicol-resistant typhoid fever: An emerging problem in Oman

Until recently multiply drug-resistant Salmonella typhi was uncommon in the Sultanate of Oman. in 1990 the first isolate of chloramphenicol-resistant S. typhi from an Indian expatriate was reported. in 1991, 58 cases of typhoid fever were diagnosed, of whom 19 (33% were resistant to chloramphenicol. All patients with chloramphenicol-resistant S. typhi are either Indians or Omani with a history of recent travel to India. Chloramphenicol may not be the appropriate blind therapy for such patients. Ciprofloxacin may be the alternative.