Salmonella typhi Description

Salmonella typhi is the bacterium responsible for typhoid fever. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that although typhoid fever is a life-threatening disease, infection is preventable and usually treatable with antibiotics.

Cause

• Salmonella typhi bacteria are transmitted through fecal matter. One contamination route is from an infected person who does not practice proper hygiene who contaminates food and passes the infection to another person. Another route for infection is contaminated water supplies, in which infected urine and feces enter the water supply.

Time Frame

• Salmonella typhi bacteria multiply over a one- to three-week period.

Symptoms

• Symptoms associated with Salmonella typhi infection include sustained fever, severe headache, nausea and diarrhea, stomach pain, loss of appetite, spleen enlargement, malaise and sometimes meningitis.

Considerations

• Some people with Salmonella typhi infection develop a rose-colored, flat rash.

Warning

• Take all medication prescribed for treatment of Salmonella typhi because even though symptoms subside, you can still be infected. Do not handle food for others, and wash hands thoroughly after using the restroom to avoid contamination. A physician will perform a series of stool samples to determine when a person is totally free of infection.