Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

typhoid
See 
typhoid fever.
typhoid fever
An acute illness characterized by
fever caused by infection with the bacterium
Salmonella typhi. Typhoid fever has an insidious
onset, with fever, headache, constipation, malaise,
chills, and muscle pain. Diarrhea is uncommon,
and vomiting is not usually severe. Confusion, delir-
ium, intestinal perforation, and death may occur in
severe cases. The disease is transmitted through
contaminated drinking water or food. Large epi-
demics are most often related to fecal contamina-
tion of water supplies or foods sold on the streets. A
chronic carrier state—excretion of the organism
for more than a year—occurs in approximately 5
percent of cases. Vaccination is recommended for
people traveling to high-risk areas, such as the
Indian subcontinent and developing countries in
Asia, Africa, and Central and South America where
there is prolonged exposure to potentially contami-
nated food and drink. Typhoid vaccination is not
100 percent effective and is not a substitute for
careful selection of food and drink.
typhoid Mary
A chronic carrier of the agent of
typhoid fever, or the chronic carrier of the agent of
any other disease. Named for Mary Mallon, an Irish
cook who was found to be a healthy typhoid carrier
in the US early in the 20th century.
turbinate
436
21_189283 ch20.qxp 4/18/08 10:19 PM Page 436
http://www.rashidislamiccenter.com
http://www.allofislam.com/

---

typhus, African tick
One of the tick-borne rick-
ettsial diseases of the eastern hemisphere, similar to
Rocky Mountain spotted fever but less severe.
Symptoms include fever, a small ulcer (tache noire)
at the site of the tick bite, swollen glands near the
site of the tick bite (satellite lymphadenopathy), and
a red, raised (maculopapular) rash. Also known as
fièvre boutonneuse. See also 
rickettsial diseases.