Fecal excretion of salmonella typhi during the bacteraemic phase of thphoid fever: an epdemiological perspective

ABSTRACT

We report here the results of an epidemiologically based study carried out to elucidate the frequency of faecal shedding of Salmonella typhi among blood culture positive cases. The study was based on the results of blood and stool cultures of specimens obtained from various areas of Basrah and processed at the public Health Laboratory over a two years period [1984, 1985]. It was shown that around 47% of positive blood culture cases were positive by stool culture for Salmonella typhi. Young children who were positive by blood culture tend to excretes S. typhi at a higher rate than adult cases. The study also showed a significant area variation in the frequency of faecal shedding of S. typhi which was inversely correlated with the level f endemicity as reflected by the percentage of positive blood culture of all blood specimens tested. There was no significant seasonal variation in the rates of faecal excretion of S. typhi among bacteraemic cases