Typhoid Fever Definition
Typhoid fever is a serious, contagious bacterial infection caused by Salmonella typhi or Salmonella paratyphi. The organism enters through the gastrointestinal tract and spreads through the circulatory system (bacteremia), inflaming the lining (intestinal mucosa) of the small and large intestines. Severe cases can lead to delirium or coma, and may be life-threatening.
Typhoid bacteria are shed in the feces and urine of infected individuals. Inadequate hand washing after defecation or urination can contaminate food and water supplies. Rarely, domestic animals may serve as a reservoir for paratyphoid. Flies may spread the disease from feces to food, causing epidemics in areas with poor sanitation practices. Hospital workers who do not follow the hospital's sterile procedures can be infected through the soiled linens of infected individuals.
Although some infected individuals do not develop actual symptoms, they are still capable of spreading the disease to others (carriers). In the US, many of the estimated 2,000 carriers are elderly women with chronic gallbladder disease.
Incidence and Prevalence: Now rare in the US, typhoid fever is still common in areas with poor sanitation such as underdeveloped areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Worldwide, in the year 2000 there were 21.6 million cases of typhoid fever and 5.4 million cases of paratyphoid fever (Crump 346).
Typhoid bacteria are shed in the feces and urine of infected individuals. Inadequate hand washing after defecation or urination can contaminate food and water supplies. Rarely, domestic animals may serve as a reservoir for paratyphoid. Flies may spread the disease from feces to food, causing epidemics in areas with poor sanitation practices. Hospital workers who do not follow the hospital's sterile procedures can be infected through the soiled linens of infected individuals.
Although some infected individuals do not develop actual symptoms, they are still capable of spreading the disease to others (carriers). In the US, many of the estimated 2,000 carriers are elderly women with chronic gallbladder disease.
Incidence and Prevalence: Now rare in the US, typhoid fever is still common in areas with poor sanitation such as underdeveloped areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Worldwide, in the year 2000 there were 21.6 million cases of typhoid fever and 5.4 million cases of paratyphoid fever (Crump 346).
