See Also: Fever, typhoid(health)
Typhoid fever(medicine)
Typhoid fever(health)
typhoid(encyclopedia)
typhoid(dictionary)
typhoid(dictionary)
Typhoid(medicine)
typhoid bacillus(medicine)
typhoid septicaemia(medicine)
equine typhoid(medicine)

Fever, typhoid (health)


An acute illness with fever caused by infection with the Salmonella typhi bacteria contracted from contaminated water and food. The disease has an insidious onset characterized by fever, headache, constipation, malaise, chills, and myalgia (muscle pain). Diarrhea is uncommon, and vomiting is not usually severe. Confusion, delirium, intestinal perforation, and death may occur in severe cases. Without therapy, the illness may last for 3 to 4 weeks and death rates range between 12% and 30%. The disease is transmitted through contaminated drinking water or food. Large epidemics are most often related to fecal contamination of water supplies or street vended foods. A chronic carrier state -- excretion of the organism for more than 1 year -- occurs in approximately 5% of cases. Typhoid Mary was a chronic carrier.