Typhoid Fever Causes - How is it Spread?

Ayurvedic Name: Aantrik Jwara

Alternative Name: Enteric Fever

How is Typhoid Fever (Enteric Fever) Caused?

Typhoid fever (enteric fever) appears to have affected thousands of human beings from last so many years, but the cause of the illness is a poisonous and interruptive bacterium called Salmonella typhi . Typhoid fever mainly spreads when people eat food or drink water which is already been infected with Salmonella typhi. This bacteria lives only in humans. Persons with typhoid fever carry the bacteria in their bloodstream and intestinal tract. Therefore, typhoid fever is more common in unhygienic areas of the world where hand washing is less frequent and water is likely to be contaminated with germs. It also spreads through direct contact with a person who is already infected with this disease.

A different pathogen, Salmonella paratyphi , causes paratyphoid fever. Although they're related, these aren't the same bacteria responsible for salmonellosis, another serious intestinal infection.

After treatment, some people who recover from enteric fever, even then continue to harbor the bacteria in their intestinal tract or gallbladder, for some years. These people are called chronic carriers, usually shed the bacteria in their feces and are capable of infecting others, although they no longer have signs or symptoms of the disease themselves.