Typhoid fever

Typhoid fever is an invasive bacterial disease caused by Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica serovar Typhi ^[1]. Scholarly metadata also describes typhoid and paratyphoid fevers as enteric fevers caused by specific serovars of the Gram-negative bacillus Salmonella enterica ^[2]. The source set does not provide additional subtype definitions or standardized coding detail ^[1][2].

The available sources describe typhoid fever as producing an undifferentiated febrile illness and being associated with bloodstream infection ^[1]. One review notes that Salmonella species can cause a range of syndromes, including bacteremia and typhoid fever, and that clinical severity varies across serovars ^[3]. Beyond these broad descriptions, source-backed detail on symptom sequence, complications, or prognostic patterns is not yet available ^[1][3].

Typhoid fever causes a high burden of disease in Africa and Asia ^[1]. One scholarly source on enteric fever estimates about 27 million cases worldwide each year, almost all in the developing world, with about 200,000 deaths, but this estimate is for enteric fever broadly rather than typhoid fever alone ^[2]. Recent review material highlights progress since 2017 in defining global burden and antimicrobial resistance, indicating continued surveillance importance in high-incidence priority settings ^[1]. The disease primarily affects individuals from infancy through young adulthood ^[1].

The source material supports fecal-oral transmission of Salmonella Typhi ^[1]. Scholarly metadata further specifies transmission through contamination of food or water by effluents containing infected urine or feces, including exposure from chronic or convalescent carriers and acutely infected persons ^[2]. No additional transmission-route detail is supported by the provided sources ^[1][2].

The clearest source-supported age pattern is concentration from infancy through young adulthood ^[1]. The material also points to people in high-incidence settings as a key public-health focus, and to carriers and acutely infected persons as epidemiologically important sources of transmission ^[1][2]. More specific host, occupational, travel, or comorbidity-related risk groups are not identified in the provided sources ^[1][2].

The sources indicate that effective vaccination programmes are an active area of progress, supported by multipartner collaboration and targeted clinical trials in multiple high-incidence settings ^[1]. However, the provided material does not supply vaccine schedules, eligibility criteria, or specific nonpharmaceutical prevention measures ^[1]. Source-backed detail on other preventive interventions is not yet available ^[1][2].

For surveillance purposes, typhoid fever should be interpreted as an invasive febrile bacterial disease with substantial burden in Africa and Asia and with ongoing attention to antimicrobial resistance ^[1]. Blood culture is described as the practical reference standard where culture testing is available, although novel diagnostic modalities are under investigation ^[1]. In monitoring contexts, source-backed information on standardized case definitions or reporting thresholds is not yet available ^[1].

1. 1 Meiring JE et al. Typhoid fever. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2023 Dec 14. PMID: 38097589. doi: 10.1038/s41572-023-00480-z. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38097589/
2. 2 Typhoid and paratyphoid fevers. Oxford Textbook of Medicine. 2010. doi: 10.1093/med/9780199204854.003.070608_update_002. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780199204854.003.070608_update_002
3. 3 Han J et al. Infection biology of Salmonella enterica. EcoSal Plus. 2024 Dec 12. PMID: 38415623. doi: 10.1128/ecosalplus.esp-0001-2023. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38415623/
4. 4 Parry CM et al. Typhoid fever. N Engl J Med. 2002 Nov 28. PMID: 12456854. doi: 10.1056/NEJMra020201. PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12456854/
5. 5 TYPHOID AND PARATYPHOID FEVERS. Medical Journal of Australia. 1962. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1976.tb140974.x. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.1976.tb140974.x
6. 6 Typhoid fever. Radiopaedia.org. 2019. doi: 10.53347/rid-66221. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53347/rid-66221

ICD-10

ICD-11

Total cases

19K

Peak month

2014-01

Coverage

8 reporting countries · 2000-01-01 → 2026-06-20