Sexually acquired Salmonella Typhi urinary tract infection

Chronic urinary carrier state due to Salmonella Typhi causing urinary tract infection in an immunocompetent healthy woman

Enteric fever caused by Salmonella Typhi is a global public health problem. With adequate treatment, most patients recover from the acute phase; however, 2–4% develop a chronic carrier state acting as reservoir of infection by continued shedding of bacteria in faeces and urine. Recovery of S. Typhi from urine is rare, even in endemic areas. The three main causes of bacteriuria arise following a recent episode of typhoid fever, in chronic carrier states involving the urinary system and occasionally following localised urinary tract infection (UTI) due to S. Typhi. Symptomatic Salmonella UTI is mostly encountered in an immunocompromised patient with some underlying structural abnormality involving the urinary tract. We report a case of symptomatic UTI caused by Salmonella Typhi in a 50-year-old immunocompetent woman in a chronic carrier state without any known urological abnormality.