Typhoid fever

A contagious disease transmitted through water, milk, and food containing Salmonella typhosa bacteria.


Serious, sometimes fatal infection with the bacterium Salmonella typhi, characterized by high fever, watery diarrhea, delirium, cough, rosy spots on the abdomen, and an enlarged spleen. Treatment is by antibacterials; typhoid vaccine provides short-term prevention.


A bacterial infection most commonly caused by Salmonella typhi. Typhoid fever, also called enteric fever, is spread by eating or drinking food or water contaminated by fecal matter containing infectious bacteria. Once ingested, the bacteria multiply in the blood and spread from the intestines through the bloodstream to the intestinal lymph nodes, the liver, and the spleen.


An infection of the digestive system by the bacterium Salmonella typhi, causing general weakness, high fever, a rash of red spots on the chest and abdomen, chills, sweating, and in serious cases inflammation of the spleen and bones, delirium, and erosion of the intestinal wall leading to hemorrhage. It is transmitted through food or drinking water contaminated by the feces or urine of patients or carriers. In most cases recovery occurs naturally but treatment with ampicillin or chloramphenicol reduces the severity of symptoms. Vaccination with TAB provides temporary immunity.


A severe infectious disease marked by fever and septicemia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report 400 cases per year in the U.S., mostly among travelers. An estimated 21 million cases of typhoid fever and 200,000 deaths occur world-wide, as it is endemic in areas where sanitation is poor.


The affliction arises from an infectious microorganism, giving rise to a malady. Individuals affected by this condition experience a persistent elevation in body temperature, accompanied by feelings of melancholy and profound fatigue. Additionally, they may encounter gastrointestinal distress and observe reddish spots adorning their chest and abdomen. The transmission of this ailment occurs via unsatisfactory sanitary conditions.


This communicable illness, alternatively referred to as enteric fever, is acquired through the consumption of contaminated food or water containing the bacterium Salmonella Typhi. A closely resembling condition, paratyphoid fever, arises from similar bacteria.


The infection is obtained from the excrement of an individual who is either afflicted with the illness or serves as an asymptomatic carrier of the bacteria. The transmission of typhoid fever often occurs through the consumption of water tainted with sewage, through flies transporting bacteria from excrement to edibles, or via infected individuals who handle food.


The bacteria transition from the intestines into the bloodstream, subsequently reaching the spleen and liver where they undergo multiplication. These organisms are expelled from the liver, gather in the gallbladder, and are then discharged in significant quantities into the intestine. Individuals who have recovered from the illness but still carry the bacteria, known as carriers, can host typhoid bacteria within their gallbladders and continue to release them in their excrement for many years.


Typhoid infection undergoes an incubation phase lasting from 7 to 21 days. Typically, the initial sign is an intense headache, followed by the onset of fever, reduced appetite, general discomfort, abdominal discomfort, constipation, and frequently delirium. Diarrhea emerges shortly after. During the second week of the illness, small elevated pink spots appear on the chest and abdomen, accompanied by an enlargement of the liver and spleen.


Typically, the illness resolves within a span of four weeks. Nevertheless, there is a possibility of life-threatening complications arising, such as intestinal bleeding, intestinal perforation resulting in peritonitis, osteomyelitis, pyelonephritis, and kidney failure.


Confirmation of typhoid diagnosis involves a blood test or the collection of a culture of typhoid bacteria from blood, feces, or urine. Typically, treatment with antibiotics effectively manages the disease within a matter of days.


A contagious fever characterized by septicemia, caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhosa.


 


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