ABSTRACT
To study the value of utilizing a new and rapid method for detecting Salmonella typhi in adult patients using the mononuclear cell-platelet fraction of blood and to compare it with the traditional methods used for the same purpose. Materials and Various specimens [blood, bone marrow and rectal swabs] were collected and cultured on standard media from 36 Jordanian patients with suspected typhoid fever at two major Jordanian hospitals, in the period from July 1992 through July 1993. Cultures using the mononuclear cell-platelet layer were performed on the blood specimens taken from all patients. Blood cultures using the mononuclear cell-platelet layer method were positive in 20 [56%] patients, and the colonies were identified [using a coagglutination technique] within 18 hours of plating. In contrast, Salmonella typhi was detected in only 15 [41%] patients using the conventional blood culture method, that required at least 3 days for identification. This study indicates that the combination of mononuclear cell-platelet layer culture and coagglutination can provide the clinician with a diagnosis of typhoid fever within a day of specimen acquisition, with a marked improvement over conventional blood culture in both time and sensitivity