Typhoid fever is a bacterial infection caused by Salmonella typhi or Salmonella paratyphi bacteria. Only humans carry this strain of bacteria. Common symptoms associated with the infection in adults include a high fever, stomach pains, constipation, fatigue and a rash. The symptoms normally occur within one to three weeks following exposure to the bacteria, but the symptoms may not appear for a full two months, according to the Mayo Clinic. Treatment for the infection includes antibiotic therapy and treating individual symptoms such as the fever.
Contaminated Food and Drink
The Salmonella typhi bacteria live in humans. Individuals shed the bacteria in stool. Not using proper hand washing procedures after having a bowel movement transfers the bacteria to food and drink. Another person consuming that same food ingests the bacteria. Other ways for food contamination to occur results from flies transferring the bacteria from stool to food, according to the Merck Manual of Health Information. In areas with poor sanitation, infected stool may contaminate the drinking water or the water supply used for growing food.
Travel
Typhoid fever is common in underdeveloped countries and is rare within developed countries. Individuals traveling to other countries with poor sanitary conditions, such as Asia, Latin America and Africa, present a greater risk for contracting typhoid fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most cases of the bacterial infection in the U.S. result from travelers bringing back the bacteria. Infected individuals may spread the infection. When traveling to areas with high rates of typhoid fever the CDC recommends taking a typhoid vaccine, drinking bottled water and avoiding fresh produce.
Carriers
After many bacteria enter the body and cause an infection, the bacteria move from the stomach to the bloodstream, according to the Merck Manual. Once in the blood, the bacteria travel to multiple organs. The liver, the gallbladder, joints, heart and kidneys are common areas for the bacteria to invade. For some individuals, the bacteria remain in the gallbladder or the kidneys. The bacteria no longer cause symptoms for the individual, but it contaminates the stool or urine. These individuals become carriers of the bacteria and may continue to shed the bacteria, unknowingly causing infections in other people. A famous case involving a typhoid fever carrier involves a woman named Mary Mallon. During the early 1900s, Mary Mallon, nicknamed Typhoid Mary, spread the infection to many individuals through her job as a cook.
