Malaria or typhoid co-infection in a tertiary care hospital of Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, India

Background: Malaria is a protozoal disease caused by infection with parasite of genus Plasmodium. Typhoid is common with malarial infection.Methods: A cross sectional study was done to find out co-infection of typhoid and malaria. Study was done in central pathological lab of department of pathology, RMCH, Bareilly. Blood samples were collected in EDTA vial and plain vial. Blood smear was examined for malaria parasite within RBCs. Malaria rapid test was done for detection of Plasmodium species and Widal test was done for typhoid.Results: In this study found co-infection of malaria with typhoid was 15.64%. In malarial cases 54.50% were males, while maximum cases (26.92%) were in 21-30 yrs age group. Cases of P. vivax was maximum (86.28%) and maximum cases of P. vivax (29.42 %) was in 11-20 yrs age group while that of P. falciparum (22.22%) was in 11-20, 21-30, 41-50 yrs age group and maximum number (23.60%) of mixed malarial infection was in 31-40 yrs age group, While co-infection of malaria with typhoid was maximum (24.59%) was in 11-20 yrs age group and maximum (53.28%) in females. Maximum (79.51%) cases of typhoid were of P. vivax.Conclusions: Malaria and typhoid co-infection still remain a major public health problem in many developing countries. Concurrent infection with two agents can result in an illness having overlapping symptoms creating a diagnostic dilemma for the treating physician.