Diagnosing typhoid fever

You should see your GP if you think you have typhoid fever, particularly if you've recently returned from travelling abroad.

Your GP will want to know whether you've travelled to parts of the world where the infection is present, orwhether you've been in close contact with someone who's travelled to these areas.

Parts of the worldwhere the infection is most common include the Indian subcontinent, Africa, South East Asia and South America.

Testing for typhoid fever

A diagnosis of typhoid fever can usually be confirmed by analysing samples of blood, stools or urine. These will be examined under a microscope for the Salmonella typhi bacteria that cause the condition.

The bacteria aren't always detected the first time, so you may need to have a series of tests.

Testing a sample of bone marrow is a more accurate way of diagnosing typhoid fever. However, getting the sample is both time-consuming and painful, so it's usually only used if other tests are inconclusive.

If typhoid fever is confirmed, other members of your household may also need to be tested, in case you've passed the infection on to them.

Bacteria
Bacteria are tiny, single-celled organisms that live in the body. Some can cause illness and disease and others are good for you.

Fever
A fever is when you have a high body temperature (over 38C or 100.4F).

Stools
Stool (also known as faeces) is the solid waste matter that is passed from the body as a bowel movement.