Typhoid Fever - S. Typhi

(Salmonella Typhi)

General Information

Typhoid fever is a serious illness caused by the bacterium Salmonella Typhi. In addition to a sustained fever, clinical symptoms include headache, weakness, and abdominal pain. Some patients develop a rash of flat, rose-colored spots.

Salmonella Typhi is transmitted by the fecal-oral route and is shed in the feces of ill persons and carriers (recovered patients).

About 400 cases are reported in the United States annually, and 70% of these are acquired while traveling internationally. Typhoid fever is still common in developing countries and affects about 12.5 million persons around the world each year. Travelers to a country where typhoid is common should consider vaccination prior to travel.

• Typhoid fever fact sheet, P-42101
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) typhoid fever information

Information for Providers

This is a Wisconsin disease surveillance category II disease:

• Report to the patient's local public health department electronically, through the Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WEDSS), by mail or fax using an Acute and Communicable Disease case report, F-44151 (Word) or by other means within 72 hours upon recognition of a case.
• Information on communicable disease reporting

Wisconsin case reporting and public health follow-guidance

• Case Reporting and Investigation Protocol (EpiNet): P-01935 Typhoid fever (PDF)
• CDC Typhoid-Paratyphoid fever surveillance report