What is typhoid?
typhoid fever
Typhoid is a bacterial infection that can lead to
a high fever, diarrhea, and vomiting. ... It is caused by the bacteria
Salmonella typhi. The infection is often passed on through contaminated food
and drinking water, and it is more prevalent in places where handwashing is
less frequent.
Typhoid is caused by the bacteria S.
typhi and spread through food, drinks, and drinking water that are
contaminated with infected fecal matter. Washing fruit and vegetables can
spread it, if contaminated water is used.
Some people are asymptomatic carriers of
typhoid, meaning that they harbor the bacteria but suffer no ill effects.
Others continue to harbor the bacteria after their symptoms have gone.
Sometimes, the disease can appear again.
People who test positive as carriers may
not be allowed to work with children or older people until medical tests show
that they are clear.
Symptoms
Symptoms normally begin between 6 and 30
days after exposure to the bacteria.
The two major symptoms of typhoid are
fever and rash. Typhoid fever is particularly high, gradually increasing over
several days up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, or 39 to 40 degrees Celsius.
The rash, which does not affect every
patient, consists of rose-colored spots, particularly on the neck and abdomen.
Other symptoms can include:
- weakness
- abdominal pain
- constipation
- headaches
Rarely, symptoms might include
confusion, diarrhea, and vomiting, but
this is not normally severe.
In serious, untreated cases, the bowel
can become perforated. This can lead to peritonitis, an infection of the tissue
that lines the inside of the abdomen, which has been reported as fatal in
between 5 and 62 percent of cases.
Another infection, paratyphoid, is
caused by Salmonella enterica. It has similar symptoms to typhoid,
but it is less likely to be fatal.
Diagnosis
Medical and travel history
Your doctor is likely to suspect typhoid fever based on your
symptoms and your medical and travel history. But the diagnosis is usually
confirmed by identifying Salmonella typhi in a culture of your blood or other
body fluid or tissue.
Body fluid or tissue culture
For the culture, a small sample of your blood, stool, urine or
bone marrow is placed on a special medium that encourages the growth of
bacteria. The culture is checked under a microscope for the presence of typhoid
bacteria. A bone marrow culture often is the most sensitive test for Salmonella
typhi.
Although performing a culture test is the mainstay for
diagnosis, in some instances other testing may be used to confirm a suspected
typhoid fever infection, such as a test to detect antibodies to typhoid
bacteria in your blood or a test that checks for typhoid DNA in your blood.
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Treatment
The only effective treatment for typhoid
is antibiotics. The most commonly used are ciprofloxacin (for non-pregnant
adults) and ceftriaxone.
Other than antibiotics, it is important
to rehydrate by drinking adequate water.
In more severe cases, where the bowel
has become perforated, surgery may be required.
Typhoid antibiotic resistance
As with a number of other bacterial
diseases, there is currently concern about the growing resistance of
antibiotics to S. typhi.
This is impacting the choice of drugs
available to treat typhoid. In recent years, for example, typhoid has become resistant
to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and ampicillin.
Ciprofloxacin, one of the key
medications for typhoid, is also experiencing similar difficulties. Some
studies have found Salmonella typhimurium resistance rates to
be around 35 percent.
Countries with less access to clean
water and washing facilities typically have a higher number of typhoid cases.
PinterestVaccination
Before traveling to a high-risk area, getting
vaccinated against typhoid fever is recommended.
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