Diagnosis
Your healthcare professional may suspect typhoid fever based on your symptoms and your medical and travel history. Lab tests can confirm the diagnosis.
Tests
A healthcare professional tests a sample of blood, stool or urine for the bacteria. The lab uses the sample to try to grow bacteria. If bacteria grow, the lab checks the growth, called a culture, under a microscope for the typhoid bacteria. Sometimes, a healthcare professional tests a sample of bone marrow.
There are other tests to diagnose typhoid fever. One test detects proteins the body makes to fight off bacteria in the blood. These are called antibodies. Another test looks for typhoid bacteria DNA in the blood.
Treatment
Antibiotic medicine is the only treatment for typhoid fever. The medicine can help you get better faster and lower the risk of complications. Without treatment, you can have the fever for weeks or months.
Commonly prescribed antibiotics
The medicine you get to treat typhoid fever may depend on how bad the illness is and where you picked up the bacteria. Sometimes one or more antibiotics don't work on the bacteria. Called antibiotic resistant, these bacteria make treating typhoid fever harder.
Antibiotics that may treat typhoid fever are:
- Fluoroquinolones. These antibiotics, including ciprofloxacin (Cipro), may be a first choice. They stop bacteria from copying themselves.
- Cephalosporins. This group of antibiotics keeps bacteria from building cell walls. One kind, ceftriaxone, is used if there is antibiotic resistance.
- Macrolides. This group of antibiotics keeps bacteria from making proteins. One type, called azithromycin (Zithromax), can be used if there is antibiotic resistance.
- Carbapenems. These antibiotics also prevent bacteria from building cell walls. Antibiotics in this group may treat serious typhoid fever that other antibiotics don't help.
Other treatments
Other treatments include surgery. If your intestines or blood vessels are damaged, you may need surgery to repair them.
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Preparing for your appointment
Call your healthcare professional if you have symptoms of typhoid fever. This is very important if you or someone with whom you have close contact recently traveled to a place where the risk of typhoid fever is high. If your symptoms are severe, go to an emergency room or call 911 or your local emergency number.
Here's information to help you get ready for your appointment.
What you can do
When you make an appointment, ask if there's anything you need to do before your visit. There may be ways you can lower the risk of spreading the bacteria to someone else.
Make a list of:
- Your symptoms and when they began.
- Ways you might have had contact with the bacteria. Note any travel abroad, including the countries you visited and when.
- Key medical information. List other conditions for which you're being treated and all medicines, vitamins and supplements you take, including doses. Also list vaccines you've had.
- Questions to ask your healthcare professional.
For typhoid fever, questions to ask include:
- What might be the cause of my symptoms?
- What tests do I need?
- Are there treatments?
- I have other health conditions. How can I best manage these conditions together?
- How long do you think it will take me to recover fully?
- When can I go back to work or school?
- Am I at risk of any long-term complications from typhoid fever?
Be sure to ask all the questions you have.
What to expect from your doctor
Your healthcare professional is likely to ask you questions, such as:
- Does anything make your symptoms better or worse?
- Did your symptoms get better and then come back?
- Did you update your vaccinations before traveling?
