Salmonella Typhi Septic Arthritis: A Case Report in an Immunocompetent Adult

Salmonella Typhi species is known to cause acute gastroenteritis, ileitis, bacteremia, and fever. This is a case of an immunocompetent adult in her early twenties who presented with complaints of high-grade fever, pain in the epigastrium, and left-sided hip pain with difficulty in walking. Since this patient was immunocompetent, the unique feature in her history was fasting (religious) for approximately 3 weeks. She consumed mainly liquids (water), which may have made her susceptible to infections. Septic arthritis being an emergency, an orthopedic opinion was taken. The routine investigations revealed leukocytosis with deranged liver profile. Blood culture revealed growth of Salmonella Typhi. The patient was started on ceftriaxone 2 gm intravenous (IV) every 12 hours, to which she responded and made remarkable recovery, thus avoiding surgical intervention.