What is the Difference Between Enteric Fever and Typhoid Fever

The key difference between enteric fever and typhoid fever is that enteric fever is a life-threatening febrile infection caused by Salmonella enterica serotypes typhi, paratyphi A, and paratyphi B, while typhoid fever is a life-threatening febrile infection caused only by the bacterium Salmonella typhi.

Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped gram-negative bacteria. The two known species of this genus are Salmonella enterica and Salmonella bongori. S. enterica is further divided into six subspecies that include over 2,600 serotypes. Therefore, enteric fever and typhoid fever are two conditions that are caused by the members of the Salmonella enterica.

CONTENTS

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Enteric Fever  
3. What is Typhoid Fever
4. Similarities – Enteric Fever and Typhoid Fever
5. Enteric Fever vs. Typhoid Fever in Tabular Form
6. FAQ – Enteric Fever and Typhoid Fever
7. Summary – Enteric Fever vs. Typhoid Fever

What is Enteric Fever?

Enteric fever is a dangerous febrile infection that is caused by Salmonella typhi or Salmonella paratyphi. Normally, 22 million estimated cases of enteric fever and 200,000 related deaths are reported worldwide each year. The clinical signs and symptoms of this condition may include sustained fever (40⁰C), malaise, abdominal pain, constipation or diarrhea, severe headache, change in the mental status, evanescent rose spots, hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, and dactylitis. Moreover, the risk factors of enteric fever are traveling to high-risk areas, inadequate water and sanitation systems, living in areas like South Asia, along with Southeast and Central Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa, and poor personal hygiene.

Enteric fever can be diagnosed through physical examinations and serological tests such as the Widal test. The treatment options for enteric fever may include antimicrobial therapy, oral or intravenous hydration, acetaminophen, intensive care, appropriate nutrition, blood transfusion, and corticosteroids.

What is Typhoid Fever?

Typhoid fever is a febrile infection caused only by a bacterium known as Salmonella enterica serotype typhi. Typhoid fever is also an enteric fever, along with paratyphoid fever. The clinical signs and symptoms of this condition may include fever reaching 40⁰C, chills, headaches, weakness and fatigue, muscle aches, stomach pain, diarrhea or constipation, rash, very swollen stomach, sepsis, confusion, not being able to pay attention to anything around the affected person and not being able to react to the outer world. Moreover, the risk factors for typhoid fever are living in areas such as Africa and South Asia, working or traveling to risk areas, working as a clinical microbiologist handling the Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi bacteria, and having close contact with someone infected.

Typhoid fever can be diagnosed through medical and travel history and body fluid and tissue culture. Furthermore, treatment options for typhoid fever may include commonly prescribed antibiotics such as fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins, macrolides, and carbapenems, drinking plenty of fluids, and surgery for intestinal damage.

What are the Similarities Between Enteric Fever and Typhoid Fever?

• Enteric fever and typhoid fever are two conditions caused by the members of the Salmonella enterica.
• Both conditions may have similar symptoms, such as fever, malaise, constipation, diarrhea, etc.
• Both conditions may cause complications if not managed properly.
• These conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination and blood tests.
• They can be treated through antibiotics.

What is the Difference Between Enteric Fever and Typhoid Fever?

Enteric fever is a life-threatening febrile infection caused by Salmonella enterica serotypes typhi, paratyphi A, and paratyphi B, while typhoid fever is a life-threatening febrile infection only caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhi. Thus, this is the key difference between enteric fever and typhoid fever. Furthermore, the risk factors for enteric fever are traveling to a high-risk area, inadequate water and sanitation systems, living in areas like South Asia, along with Southeast and Central Asia, and Sub-saharan Africa, and poor personal hygiene. On the other hand, the risk factors for typhoid fever are living in areas such as Africa and South Asia, working in or traveling to risk areas, working as a clinical microbiologist handling the Salmonella enterica serotype typhi bacteria and having close contact with someone who is infected.

The infographic below presents the differences between enteric fever and typhoid fever in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.

FAQ: Enteric Fever and Typhoid Fever

What are the 3 symptoms of typhoid?

Three common symptoms of typhoid fever are high fever, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.

How can we identify typhoid fever?