Typhoid Fever

Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a bacterial infection due to a specific type of Salmonella that causes symptoms. Symptoms may vary from mild to severe, and usually begin 6 to 30 days after exposure. There is often a gradual onset of high fever for several days.

Related Content: Typhidot Test, Widal Test, CBC, Blood Culture, Urine Culture, Stool Culture, Bone Marrow

Symptoms:

Signs and symptoms are likely to develop gradually .

Common Symptoms:

• High Fever
• Headache
• Abdominal Pain
• Constipation
• Diarrhea

Detailed Signs and Symptoms:

1. Salmonella infection is more common in children less than 10 years of age.
2. Prodromal stage: There is malaise, headache, cough, sore throat, abdominal pain, and constipation.
   1. Diarrhea is late symptoms and is usually in the third week of illness.
3. Fever: It is constant and ascends in a stepwise pattern.
4. 7 to 10 days: There is  Paek and patients are sicker.
   1. Early diarrhea.
   2. Abdominal distension.
5. Patients improve after 7 to 10 days.
   1. Untreated cases recover in about 4 weeks.
   2. Symptoms disappear with antibiotics within 3 to 4 days.
6. Relapse may occur after 2 weeks.
7. The gastroenteritis incubation period is 8 to 24 hours.
   1. There are nausea and vomiting.
   2. There is abdominal pain.
   3. There is diarrhea.
   4. There may be a fever.
   5. This is self-limiting disease and recovery is usually within a week.

Sauses of Typhidot:

1. Contaminated food (including meat).
2. Contaminated water supply.
3. Washing fruit, vegetables and vessel can spread it, if contaminated water is used.

Diagnoses:

• CBC Test: Shows Low TLC (WBC).
• Blood culture, positive in the first week of infection in 80 % of the cases. But blood culture may reach 90 % of the cases and it decreases to 50% in the third week.
• Bone marrow culture if taken will be positive and may have a high yield of up to 90% sensitivity.
• Stool culture will be a positive but not reliable test. This will be positive within the first 7 days of infection.
• Widal test will be positive after 7 to 10 days of infection.
• Typhidot test claimed by the manufacturing companies that it will be positive after 2 to 3 days.
• Urine culture may be done and is positive in the case of enteric fever but is less sensitive.

Treatment:

1. The drug of choice is the Ciprofloxacin.
2. Chloramphenicol is also effective but this may have a serious side effect.
3. Co-trimoxazole is also used and has less serious side effects like Chloramphenicol.

Prevention Of The Disease

• The Hygenic measure like:
  • Clean water supply.
  • Adequate disposal of the sewage material.
  • Washing of the hands after the defecation. The best is to wash your hands with soap at least three times.
  • Take care of food handling and processing.
• For the carriers, give them treatment and advise them to wash hands after the defection.
• Vaccination should be advised in the family where there is a history of enteric fever.
  • Injectable vaccine.

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