Co-trimoxazole compared to chloramphenicol in the treatment of enteric fever.

Co-trimoxazole (trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole combination) was effective in the control of the acute infection in 60 patients with proven enteric fever. The mean interval between initiating treatment and defervescence was similar to that observed with a comparable group of 38 patients treated with chloramphenicol. Both co-trimoxazole and chloramphenicol were well tolerated and no serious adverse reactions, attributed to either drug, were noted. Two patients treated with chloramphenicol relapsed. No relapses were noted in the co-trimoxazole treated group. Although the evidence available at present in inadequate for drawing final conclusions regarding the relative efficacy of these two therapeutic agents in enteric fever, co-trimoxazole should be considered as an alternative drug, particularly when encountering salmonella strains resistant to chloramphenicol and ampicillin.