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Typhoid fever, also known as
Salmonella
typhi or commonly just typhoid, is a common worldwide illness, transmitted
by the ingestion of food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected
person. The bacteria then perforate through the intestinal wall and are
phagocytosed by
macrophages. It is caused by the bacterium
Salmonella typhi
The organism is a Gram-negative short bacillus that is motile due to its
peritrichous flagella. The bacterium grows best at 37 °C/99 °F
– human body temperature. Typhoid fever was a major problem in all American
cities throughout most of the 19th
century because of polluted water supplies. Most developed countries saw
declining rates of typhoid fever throughout the first half of the 20th
century due to vaccinations and advances in public sanitation and hygiene.
Antibiotics were introduced in clinical practice in 1942, greatly reducing
mortality. Today, incidence of typhoid fever in developed countries is
around 5 cases per 1,000,000 people per year.
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