How long does the typhoid test take?

The developing countries around the world are struggling to cope up with the disease burden of Typhoid fever. The approximate rate of typhoid fever across the globe is around 540 per 100000 population.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), typhoid fever results in around 1,28,000 - 1,61,000 deaths per year. Around 11-20 million people across the globe are infected with typhoid fever per year. With such rapidly increasing cases of typhoid across the globe, it is important that you know about typhoid fever, its stages, when you should get tested, and how long typhoid test results take.

What is typhoid fever?

Typhoid fever refers to an acute health condition characterized by fever and chills. The condition is caused due to the infection of Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi or Salmonella paratyphi. The bacteria spreads through contaminated food and water. Typhoid infection can be divided into four different stages:

First stage

• You may experience preliminary symptoms like indolence, dry cough, and headache.
• The symptoms can be accompanied by fever.
• In case of fever also, your body temperature is not very high.

Second stage

• In this stage, you have a very high fever.
• Your stomach may also become bloated.
• You may also experience weight loss at this stage.
• At this stage, hallucinations and fever dreams are also common.
• You might feel lethargic due to infection.

Third stage

• It is a serious stage of typhoid infection.
• In case of severe intestinal perforation, it may lead to abdominal hemorrhage.
• Inflammation of the brain or encephalitis may also set in at this stage.
• The stage is also characterized by dehydration.
• You may find it difficult to sit, stand, and walk on your own.

Fourth stage

• You will experience a very high fever at this stage.
• There are various health complications that may arise at this stage including pneumonia, kidney failure, meningitis, and inflammation of the pancreas.

When is a typhoid test taken?

A typhoid test is recommended to check whether or not you are infected by the bacterium Salmonella typhi. Certain symptoms that indicate typhoid fever include: 

• Headache
• Nausea
• Fatigue
• Skin rashes
• Swollen abdomen
• Constipation
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Weakness
• High-grade fever

Since typhoid is a leading health problem around the world, it is important that awareness about the disease and ways to prevent its spread in all parts of the world. Typhoid fever is caused due to the infection of the bacterium Salmonella typhi that generally spreads through contaminated water and food. Being the leading cause of morbidity in the urban and semi-urban populations, the early diagnosis of typhoid fever is important to reduce its mortality rate.

How long do typhoid test results take?

The duration of typhoid test results varies depending upon what typhoid test you have taken. The various tests available for the diagnosis of typhoid are:

IgM test

• The IgM antibodies specific to the bacterium Salmonella typhi are detected in the IgM test. 
• The test is conducted to detect the markers at an early stage. 
• The IgM typhoid test takes around 2-3 days for the results to come after the onset of the symptoms.

Blood culture

• It is the most important test for the diagnosis of typhoid fever. 
• In a blood culture test, the bacteria are isolated from your testing sample and identified. 
• The test should be performed within one week of the onset of the symptoms to get the most accurate and reliable results. 
• Multiple blood cultures using larger sample volumes are used for better results.

Real-time PCR

• Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a molecular test that is used for the diagnosis of typhoid fever. 
• The test takes the first 5 days after the onset of typhoid symptoms for the results to come.

Widal test

• The Widal test is the most common typhoid test that we have all heard of. 
• But unfortunately, Widal test is not generally used for the diagnosis of typhoid fever because of the cross-reactivity that can occur during testing with other infectious agents. 
• The widal test is one of the most common rapid serological tests for the diagnosis of typhoid fever. 
• The widal test is based on the principle of biochemical agglutination. 
• Biochemical agglutination refers to the detection of the presence of H and O serum agglutinins in the serum of your blood sample. 
• There are two different methods for performing the Widal test which includes, the slide method and the tube method. 

Takeaway

The cases of typhoid are increasing day by day in all countries around the world. With increasing cases, getting a typhoid test done at the right time is very important. Early detection of typhoid will prevent the infection from becoming severe and extend to stages that are difficult to cure and may have an adverse effect on your mental health as well. Now, that you know all about typhoid, its stages, when the test should be done, and after how many days the test gives an accurate result, make sure that you get a timely diagnosis of typhoid fever.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• How long does a Widal test take?

The Widal test is a simple and inexpensive test that can be done within minutes. The test results are positive if the serum sample taken 10 days apart shows a four-fold increase in the antibody titer value.

• Can typhoid infection occur without fever?

Yes, typhoid infection can occur without fever as well. You may have typhoid or paratyphoid fever without any symptoms.

• For how long are the medicines for typhoid prescribed?

The medicines for typhoid fever are generally prescribed for around 7 to 14 days.