Typhoid is a bacterial infection that can lead to a high fever, diarrhea, and vomiting. It can be fatal. 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. It can also be passed on by carriers who do not know they carry the bacteria.
What is Typhoid?
Typhoid is an infection caused by Salmonella typhimurium bacteria that is spread from human to human.
Typhoid is an infection caused by the bacterium
Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhi).
The bacterium lives in the intestines and bloodstream of humans. It spreads between individuals by direct contact with the feces of an infected person.
No animals carry this disease, so transmission is always human to human.
If untreated, around 1 in 5 cases of typhoid can be fatal. With treatment, fewer than 4 in 100 cases are fatal.
S. typhi enters through the mouth and spends 1 to 3 weeks in the intestine. After this, it makes its way through the intestinal wall and into the bloodstream.
From the bloodstream, it spreads into other tissues and organs. The immune system of the host can do little to fight back because S. typhi can live within the host's cells, safe from thei immunesystem .
Typhoid is diagnosed by detecting the presence of S. typhi via blood, stool, urine, or bone marrow sample.
Symptoms of Typhoid
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.
Treatment of Typhoid
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.
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