How often do you hear someone say Salmonella typhi has given me Typhoid fever? Truly, we do not; Typhoid fever is a rare occurrence in our society. However, in many third world countries, S. typhi effects nearly 17 million people a year, posing major life-threatening concerns. S. typhi is transported from infected individuals to healthy ones via fecal-oral route. When infected individuals defecate, they shed S. typhi. S. typhi produces and secretes a protein, invasin. Invasin causes the non-phagocytic cells to take up the bacterium. Invasin also causes the inactivation of the oxidative burst of leukocytes, preventing our innate immune responses.

Many un-established countries do not properly dispose of human feces, nor do they have sanitary water sources. Since, some countries do not properly dispose of human feces, the S. typhi infested feces comes in contact with their water system, which the healthy individuals drink. Once the healthy individuals drink the S. typhi tainted water, they become infected, resulting immediately in Typhoid fever. Typhoid fever suddenly onsets fever. Along with fever, infected individuals experience severe nausea, headaches and loss of appetite. This bacteria will also cause the spleen to become enlarged, meningitis to develop, and may cause malaise.

The key to avoiding being infected by S. typhi is to avoid fecal contaminated water. In order to control transmission, proper hygiene, waste management, and water purification must be maintained. The United States and like countries have immunizations to prevent the harmful effects of S. typhi, however, these third world countries that lack water purification, proper fecal disposal and hygiene, also lack immunizations. Typhoid fever, when left untreated, does in most all cases result in death. 


Literature Cited
Intestinal bug. (2008). Unpublished manuscript, Medical Center, University of Maryland, Maryland. Retrieved from http://www.umm.edu/news/releases/bug.htm