Recent outbreak of chloramphenicol resistant typhoid fever in West Bengal.

Forty patients admitted with typhoid fever from 1-1-1990 to 31-3-1990 were studied. The clinical features differed from the classical clinical profile. Thirty cases (75%) did not respond to chloramphenicol. Gentamicin, nitrofurantoin, nalidixic acid, kanamycin, cephalexin and norfloxacin were tried according to the sensitivity pattern. But response was variable. Ciprofloxacin was used in 18 cases which failed to respond to one of the above drugs. The result was quite satisfactory with minimal side-effects.