Related Experiment Videos
Typhoid fever in a 7 month old infant
S C Karande1, M S Desai, M K Jain
1Department of Pediatrics, Seth GS Medical College, Parel, Bombay.
Journal of Postgraduate Medicine
|October 1, 1995
Summary
Diagnosing typhoid fever in infants is challenging due to non-specific symptoms. This case highlights the difficulty, with diagnosis only confirmed post-mortem after severe dehydration and acute tubular necrosis led to death.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Infectious Diseases
- Clinical Case Reports
Background:
- Typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella Typhi, presents variably in infants.
- Early diagnosis in infants is critical but often hindered by non-specific clinical signs.
Observation:
- A 7-month-old infant presented with a single day of fever and loose stools.
- The infant rapidly developed severe dehydration, acute tubular necrosis, and succumbed.
Findings:
- Typhoid fever was diagnosed solely through post-mortem examination.
- The infant's presentation lacked the typical signs often associated with typhoid fever in older children.
Implications:
- This case underscores the diagnostic challenges of infant typhoid.
- Highlights the need for increased clinical suspicion and potentially earlier diagnostic consideration in febrile infants with gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Emphasizes the critical importance of prompt management of dehydration in infants presenting with non-specific febrile illnesses.