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BackgroundEnteric fever is a serious public health concern. The causative agents, Salmonella enterica serovars Typhi and Paratyphi A, frequently have antimicrobial resistance (AMR), leading to limited treatment options and poorer clinical outcomes. We investigated the genomic epidemiology, resistance mechanisms, and transmission dynamics of these pathogens at three urban sites in Africa and Asia.MethodsS Typhi and S Paratyphi A bacteria isolated from blood cultures of febrile children and adults at study sites in Dhaka (Bangladesh), Kathmandu (Nepal), and Blantyre (Malawi) during STRATAA surveillance were sequenced. Isolates were charactered in terms of their serotypes, genotypes (according to GenoTyphi and Paratype), molecular determinants of AMR, and population structure. We used phylogenomic analyses incorporating globally representative genomic data from previously published surveillance studies and ancestral state reconstruction to differentiate locally circulating from imported pathogen AMR variants. Clusters of sequences without any single-nucleotide variants in their core genome were identified and used to explore spatiotemporal patterns and transmission dynamics.FindingsWe sequenced 731 genomes from isolates obtained during surveillance across the three sites between Oct 1, 2016, and Aug 31, 2019 (24 months in Dhaka and Kathmandu and 34 months in Blantyre). S Paratyphi A was present in Dhaka and Kathmandu but not Blantyre. S Typhi genotype 4.3.1 (H58) was common in all sites, but with different dominant variants (4.3.1.1.EA1 in Blantyre, 4.3.1.1 in Dhaka, and 4.3.1.2 in Kathmandu). Multidrug resistance (ie, resistance to chloramphenicol, co-trimoxazole, and ampicillin) was common in Blantyre (138 [98%] of 141 cases) and Dhaka (143 [32%] of 452), but absent from Kathmandu. Quinolone-resistance mutations were common in Dhaka (451 [>99%] of 452) and Kathmandu (123 [89%] of 138), but not in Blantyre (three [2%] of 141). Azithromycin-resistance mutations in acrB were rare, appearing only in Dhaka (five [1%] of 452). Phylogenetic analyses showed that most cases derived from pre-existing, locally established pathogen variants; 702 (98%) of 713 drug-resistant infections resulted from local circulation of AMR variants, not imported variants or recent de novo emergence; and pathogen variants circulated across age groups. 479 (66%) of 731 cases clustered with others that were indistinguishable by point mutations; individual clusters included multiple age groups and persisted for up to 2·3 years, and AMR determinants were invariant within clusters.InterpretationEnteric fever was associated with locally established pathogen variants that circulate across age groups. AMR infections resulted from local transmission of resistant strains. These results form a baseline against which to monitor the impacts of control measures.FundingWellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, EU Horizon 2020, and UK National Institute for Health and Care Research.

Original publication

DOI

10.1016/s2666-5247(24)00047-8

Type

Journal

The Lancet. Microbe

Publication Date

08/2024

Volume

5

Addresses

Department of Infection Biology, Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK; Department of Infectious Diseases, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia; Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK. Electronic address: zoe.dyson@lshtm.ac.uk.

Keywords

STRATAA Study Group, Humans, Salmonella paratyphi A, Salmonella typhi, Paratyphoid Fever, Typhoid Fever, Anti-Bacterial Agents, Microbial Sensitivity Tests, Genomics, Phylogeny, Drug Resistance, Bacterial, Genotype, Genome, Bacterial, Adolescent, Adult, Middle Aged, Child, Child, Preschool, Infant, Malawi, Bangladesh, Nepal, Female, Male, Young Adult