Typhoid fever is a serious disease that results in fever and weakness. In severe cases, it may cause death. It was once common in all heavily populated regions. However, as methods of good hygiene and sanitation were developed, typhoid fever occurred less often. Today, it is rare in areas with modern standards of sanitation.
Cause and spread.
Typhoid fever is caused by a bacterium called Salmonella typhi (abbreviated S. typhi). This organism passes indirectly from one person to another. It travels chiefly through contaminated water or food. Victims of typhoid fever shed S. typhi in their feces (solid body wastes) and urine. Apparently healthy persons, called carriers, also spread the bacteria. Carriers do not have symptoms of typhoid fever. But they harbor the bacteria in their body and release them in their feces.
Human body wastes that contain S. typhi can contaminate food or water in several ways. For example, flies can carry the bacteria from feces to food. Food that has been handled by carriers is another common source of infection. In regions with poor sanitation, the bacteria often spread after water supplies are contaminated by human wastes.
Symptoms
of typhoid fever usually develop one to three weeks after a person has consumed contaminated food or water. Most cases last about four weeks after the symptoms begin. During the first week, the person has a rising fever, headaches, and abdominal pain. The fever peaks and remains high during the second week. In many cases, rose-colored spots appear on the chest and abdomen. The person becomes weak. In severe cases, the patient may become delirious. By the start of the third week, a greenish, soupy diarrhea develops in most cases. The disease reaches its height at this point. Unless complications occur, the person gradually improves during the end of the third week and during the fourth week.
Serious, sometimes fatal, complications can develop. The bacteria may produce ulcers (open sores) in the intestine. If the ulcers become severe, they can make holes in the intestinal wall. In such cases, the contents of the intestines spill into the abdomen. Serious abdominal infections can follow. In other instances, the intestines may bleed. Blood transfusions may be necessary.
Treatment and prevention.
Physicians use antibiotic drugs to treat typhoid fever (see Antibiotic ). These drugs check the growth of S. typhi and speed recovery. The use of antibiotics reduces the risk of dying from typhoid fever.
Good personal hygiene and public sanitation are the best methods of preventing the spread of typhoid fever. Effective control of the disease also requires the identification and treatment of carriers. Such measures have made typhoid fever rare in developed countries.
A vaccine made from killed typhoid fever bacteria provides partial protection for several years. This vaccine is given to people who live in or travel to countries where the disease is widespread.
Paratyphoid fever
is a disease that resembles typhoid fever. It has similar symptoms, spread, and treatment. It results from infections of Salmonella organisms other than S. typhi.
