Salmonella typhi bacteria is the main cause of Typhoid fever. Typhoid is caused by contaminated food, water, or intimate contact with an infected individual.
Other Typhoid causes include:
- Utilizing an unclean restroom and touching your mouth before washing your hands
- Consuming raw vegetables that have been fertilized with human excrement
- Consuming tainted milk products
- Engaging in oral or anal intercourse with a person who is a carrier of the Salmonella typhi bacteria.
It invades your gut and results in symptoms including high fever and stomach ache. Enteric fever is another name for typhoid fever. After Salmonella bacteria infect the small intestine and momentarily enter the circulation following consumption of tainted food or water, they get transported to liver, spleen, and bone marrow via white blood cells, where they proliferate and enter the bloodstream once more. At this point, people start to exhibit symptoms, including fever. The biliary system, the lymphatic tissue of the bowel, and the gallbladder are all invaded by bacteria. They multiply greatly in this place. Stool samples can be used to identify the bacteria once they enter the intestinal system. Blood or urine samples will be collected to obtain a diagnosis if a test result is unclear. Typhoid fever treatment often initiates with clinician diagnosis based on a patient’s unique medical history in order to distinguish it from paratyphoid, an infection brought on by Salmonella enterica. While the signs of this virus are similar to those of typhoid, it is less likely to be fatal.
After the acute sickness, 3% to 5% of persons carry the pathogen. Others go undiagnosed because they have a relatively little ailment. Even though they show no symptoms, these individuals may become long-term carriers of the pathogen and, for many years, serve as the source of fresh typhoid fever outbreaks. Even after the recovery, some typhoid fever patients remain contagious (long-term carrier). Typhoid can spread for up to a year without any symptoms. It’s essential to get tested for a S. Typhi after patients’ recovery to confirm that it can`t be spread to others. Since the early 1900s, when tens of thousands of cases were documented in the U.S., the incidence of typhoid fever has significantly declined in the country. Less than 400 cases are now reported each year in the US, usually in Americans returning from recent trips to Mexico and South America. The effect of improved environmental sanitation is this improvement. Egypt, Pakistan, and India are also recognized as having a high risk of contracting this illness. Typhoid fever kills over 200,000 people each year, infecting more than 21 million people worldwide. The majority of cases of typhoid fever occur in rural areas of underdeveloped nations without access to modern sanitation. Typhoid mostly affects nations in South and Southeast Asia,
Central and South America, Africa, and the Caribbean. Visitors to Pakistan, India, or Bangladesh are most at risk.
Typhoid symptoms often appear 1 to 2 weeks after a person contracting the Salmonella typhi bacteria.
Typhoid fever symptoms should swiftly improve with treatment within 3 to 5 days.
Typhoid fever often worsens over a few weeks if untreated, and there is a high likelihood that life-threatening complications will manifest.
Without therapy, recovery may take weeks or even months, and symptoms may recur.
Typhoid fever’s primary signs and symptoms are:
- A consistently high temperature that rises day by day
- Aches and pains in general
- A migraine
- Extreme weariness (fatigue)
- The cough
- Poor appetite
- Constipation
The asymptomatic phase of an infection usually lasts for the first 12-48 hours. A person won’t exhibit any symptoms at this point, but the infection can still spread to other people.
The individual will thereafter frequently experience GI issues.
By the third stage, the germs are already present in the blood, and the patient will exhibit other flu-like symptoms such as a high fever. The course of the infection, however, may range slightly between individuals.
Later, when the illness worsens, patient might experience weight loss, nausea, stomachache, and diarrhea. Some individuals might get a rash. Many patients have chest congestion as well as frequent stomach pain and discomfort. As the fever persists, in people with no issues, improvement happens in the third and fourth week. After feeling better for one to two weeks, 10% of patients experience recurrence symptoms. Relapses are more frequent in people using antibiotics.
Typhoid treatment initiates with doctor questioning the patient about whether they have visited or resided in regions where the illness is prevalent or where outbreaks have been reported.
In addition, they’ll want to know the person’s immunization history, where and how they live, and whether they’ve been taking any drugs. They might also want to know if the individual has consumed any contaminated food or water.
Antibiotics are the sole effective treatment for typhoid. Cipro (ciprofloxacin) is most frequently prescribed by doctors to non-pregnant patients.
In addition to these, a doctor might prescribe:
- Chloramphenicol (Chloromycetin) (Chloromycetin)
- Sulfamethoxazole/trimethoprim (Bactrim) (Bactrim)
- Ampicillin (Ampi, Omnipen, Penglobe, and Principen) (Ampi, Omnipen, Penglobe, and Principen)
- Chloramphenicol should not be used during pregnancy.
Other treatment for Typhoid patients consists of consuming enough water to rehydrate themselves. A person may require surgery in more serious circumstances where the bowel has become perforated.
However, like with a number of other bacterial infections, there is concern regarding antibiotic resistance to S. typhi.
The CDC advises taking preventive measures, consists of working towards:
- Boosting vaccination rates
- Improving sanitization and hygiene
- Improve tracking of infected individuals to prevent spread
If a doctor knows a patient will be traveling to an area where the condition is endemic, they may choose to administer antibiotics as a preventative measure. They frequently recommend ceftriaxone (Rocephin) or cefixime (Suprax) in addition to azithromycin.
The following are other preventive measures and treatments utilized:
The typhoid vaccination is offered as an oral pill or a one-time injection:
This live, attenuated vaccination is for adults and children older than 6 years old.
Capsule: It consists of four pills, the last of which should be taken at least a week prior to departure. It should be taken every other day.
Shot: This inactivated vaccination must be received two weeks prior to travel by adults and children over the age of two. A booster shot should be administered two weeks prior to departure for those who have already had the immunization.
Although there is a typhoid vaccination, it is only 50–80% effective, so people should still use caution when eating, drinking, and interacting with others.
The live, oral dose should not be taken by anyone who has HIV. Additionally, the immunization might have negative effects.
There might be a reaction to the oral immunization.
- GI problems
- Nausea
- Headache
- After receiving the vaccine, some persons may experience dizziness.
With either vaccine, significant side effects are uncommon.
In areas where typhoid is widespread, the following general guidelines should be followed to reduce the risk of infection:
- Ideally carbonated, sip water from a bottle.
- If bottled water is not available, boil any accessible water for at least one minute before drinking.
- Anything that has been handled by someone else should be avoided.
- Eat only hot meals, and avoid eating at street food stands.
- Drinks shouldn’t contain ice.
