TYPHOID (ENTERIC FEVER)

DESCRIPTION
Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is an acute symptomatic bacterial infection caused due to Salmonella typhi. It is a type of enteric fever which is a severe and occasionally life-threatening febrile illness, contracted by the ingestion of contaminated food or water. Sometimes it can also be caused by Salmonella paratyphi serovar A, B or C, a related bacterium which is majorly associated with less severe illness known as paratyphoid fever.

Reservoir of infection and incubation period
Human gallbladder mainly serves as a reservoir for typhoid causing pathogens. The incubation period is usually 8-14 days, but this depends on the infective dose and can vary from three days to one month.

CAUSES AND
• It may occasionally be contracted through direct contact with infected person.
• It is majorly a water-borne disease and transmission of infection is mainly due to eating or drinking food or water contaminated with the faeces of an infected person.

Carrier state
In some individuals, the bacteria may be present in their system but no symptoms are observed. Such people may carry the bacterium without being affected; however, they are still able to spread the disease to others and are said to be in a carrier state.

SYMPTOM
Symptoms may vary from mild to severe and usually begin six to thirty days after exposure. Typhoid fever is a septicaemic illness characterised initially by
• Fever (starting as low grade fever and reaching as high as 104.9F in few days)
• Bradycardia
• Splenomegaly
• Hepatomegaly
• Abdominal symptoms like swelling, pain, tenderness etc.
• Headache
•
Frequent change of therapy should, therefore, be avoided.
• The treatment should be completed till the patient has been afebrile for at least 7 days as incomplete treatment increases the risk of relapse and emergence of resistance.
• If the patient is a food-handler or works in a profession that poses a high risk of transferring infection to others, such as health care workers, or child care workers, they should be advised to cease work until completely cured and advised by the doctors. Generally three negative stool test is considered as safe precaution for these workers.
• The community should be educated about personal hygiene, especially thorough hand washing after toilet use and before food preparation.
• Education should be given to the patient regarding the importance of completing the course of antibiotics, the possibility of relapse, persisting excretion, the need for good personal hygiene and precautions in food preparation.
• Contacts should be educated about the disease so as to reduce the risk of transmission and to allow for early identification if they develop symptoms.

Related Diseases
Parathyroid