Typhoid fever poses a serious public health problem in Nigeria and is largely diagnosed based on the Widal agglutination test which has been proven to be neither sensitive nor specific. This study determined the prevalence of typhoid fever using both Widal agglutination test and blood culture using automated microbiology systems (BD BACTEC). The study was carried out among 90 patients attending Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano. Out of the 90 cases recruited for the study, none of the cases (0, 0.0%) had S. Typhi isolated using blood culture. However, 18 cases (20%) had other bacteria which are not S. Typhi isolated using blood culture while 72 cases (80%) were negative. For the Widal test, 63 cases (70%) were positive for anti S. Typhi O antigen while 27 cases (30%) were negative. Similarly, 42 cases (46.7%) were positive for anti S. Typhi H antigen, while 48 cases (53.3%) were negative. Type of toilet system was found to be significantly associated with non S. Typhi bacteraemia (P=0.021). The studyrecommends the use of other diagnostic test such as molecular techniques to determine the sensitivity and specificity of both Widal and cultural methods.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.