





March 15th, 2018
Typhoid is a ubiquitous disease characterised by a plethora of symptoms collectively attributed to Salmonella typhi but rarely definitely proved in the laboratory. The widal test is widely used as indirect evidence of the infection but is notoriously inaccurate in its predictions. A Blood culture is the only sure way to link the disease to the causative bacterium.
The Lady Willingdon hospital is one of seven institutions in India which will look at the incidence of the disease in patients presenting to and admitted to the hospital with fever of unknown origin by isolating the bacterium with blood cultures. This study is being conducted by CMC Vellore as part of an ICMR study funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.