A Study on Incidence of Enteric Fever Among Febrile Patients in a Private Teaching Hospital by Analysis of Clinical and Microbiological Profiles.

Abstract

Enteric fever or typhoid is caused by Salmonella enterica with multiple serotypes affecting all types of population, leading to morbidity and mortality. Some of the potential risk factors for enteric fever are consuming contaminated food and water, having close contact with recent enteric fever patients, poor housing, improper sewage system and lack of safe drinking water and increased use of broad-spectrum antibiotics. Of the 110 patients with fever included in the study, the mean duration of fever was 9.87 ±0.68 days with a male predominance and male to female ratio of 1.82:1 and the mean age of 44.5 ± 2.32 years. Blood culture yielded growth Salmonella enterica isolates in 32.7% of the subjects. Eight of the 36 isolates (22.2%) were MDR Salmonella. Widal test was signicant in 48.2% (53) of patients. For correct diagnosis of enteric fever, rapid serological tests with better sensitivity and specicity are needed. Also, better living standards, health education, and proper treatment are required to control the endemicity of enteric fever.