Synonyms
Enteric fever; Gastric fever; Slow fever
Definition
Typhoid fever is a severe systemic bacterial disease caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. It is characterized by prolonged fever, persistent bacteremia and severe inflammation of the intestines, especially the lymphoid tissue. Salmonella typhihas been a human pathogen for thousands of years thriving in conditions of poor sanitation and crowding. The name is derived from the ancient Greek “typhos” which means “cloud” or “smoke” and refers to the level of consciousness of the patients in the advanced stage of the disease. The classic presentation includes fever, malaise, diffuse abdominal pain, and diarrhea or constipation (in up to 38% of the patients). Untreated disease progresses through different stages. Incubation lasts 5–21 days depending on the health and immune status of the patient and the virulence of the bacteria. The onset is usually insidious with low-grade fever appearing first. During active invasion of...
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References and Further Reading
Anita, S., Amir, K. M., Fadzilah, K., Ahamad, J., Noorhaida, U., Marina, K., Paid, M. Y., & Hanif, Z. (2012). Risk factors for typhoid outbreak in Sungai Congkak Recreational park, Selangor 2009. The Medical Journal of Malaysia, 67, 12–16.
Geboes, K. (2013). Inflammatory disorders of the small intestine. In N. A. Shepherd, B. F. Warren, G. T. Williams, J. K. Greenson, G. Y. Lauwers, & M. R. Novelli (Eds.), Morson and Dawson’s gastrointestinal pathology (pp. 315–372). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Johnson, K. J. (2012). CDC updates recommendations for typhoid vaccination. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 54, 5–6.
Kaur, J., & Jain, S. K. (2012). Role of antigens and virulence factors of Salmonella enteric serovar Typhi in its pathogenesis. Microbiological Research, 167, 199–210.
Khan, M. I., Sajid Bashir Soofi, R., Ochiai, L., Khan, M. J., Sahito, S. M., Habib, M. A., Puri, M. K., von Seidlein, L., Park, J. K., You, Y. A., Ali, M., Nizami, Q., Acosta, C. J., Sack, R. B., Clemens, J. D., & Bhutta, Z. A. (2012). Epidemiology, clinical presentation, and patterns of drug resistance of Salmonella typhi in Karachi, Pakistan. Journal of Infection in Developing Countries, 6, 704–714.
Sabitha, P., Prabha Adhikari, M. R., Chowdary, A., Prabhu, M., Soofi, M., Shetty, M., Kamath, A., Lokaranjan, S. S., & Bangera, S. S. (2004). Comparison of the immunogenicity and safety of two different brands of Salmonella typhi VI capsular polysaccharide vaccine. Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, 58, 141–149.
Smith, J. H. (1976). Typhoid fever. In C. H. Binford & D. H. Connor (Eds.), Pathology of tropical and extraordinary diseases (pp. 123–129). Washington, DC: Armed Forces Institute of Pathology.
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Geboes, K. (2017). Typhoid Fever. In: Carneiro, F., Chaves, P., Ensari, A. (eds) Pathology of the Gastrointestinal Tract. Encyclopedia of Pathology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40560-5_1545
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-40560-5_1545
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