Haemoglobinuric renal failure and typhoid fever

Three patients with typhoid fever, initially misdiagnosed, developed intravascular haemolysis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, haemoglobinuria and acute renal failure. 2 of the patients were deficient in erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase; Plasmodium falciparum was present in the blood of the third. Among the indigenous population of endemic areas, typhoid fever is the likely diagnosis in any pyrexial illness associated with haemoglobinuric renal failure.