Samonella typhi infection-related appendicitis: A case report

Can Salmonella typhi Cause Acute Appendicitis?

Salmonella typhi, commonly known for causing typhoid fever, is recognized as a bacterium responsible for a wide range of gastrointestinal and systemic infections. While its systemic manifestations have been well-documented, its association with localized gastrointestinal complications, such as appendicitis, remains relatively rare and less explored. This case report presents a compelling clinical case of a 55-year-old patient who presented with symptoms of gastrointestinal distress and was diagnosed with S. typhi-induced appendicitis. The patient's history, clinical presentation, laboratory investigations, radiological findings, management, and outcomes are thoroughly discussed. The report also touches upon the broader context of appendicitis etiology and highlights the significance of prompt diagnosis and intervention in cases of Salmonella-induced appendicitis.

Extensively Drug-Resistant Salmonella typhi Infection: From Pill to Scalpel

Water-borne infections like typhoid fever are common in the developing world. The emergence of extensively drug-resistant Salmonella typhi (XDR S. typhi) is of great concern for both local and global public health. Fever, diarrhea, and abdominal pain are the commonest manifestations of typhoid fever. Abdominal pain may be due to ileal and colonic inflammation/ulceration and mesenteric lymphadenitis. Sometimes, abdominal pain in typhoid is due to ileal perforation leading to peritonitis, and acute appendicitis which needs urgent surgical intervention. Delayed surgical intervention can result in morbidity and sometimes even death.

We report a case of XDR S. typhi infection in a 17-year-old female who presented with fever and abdominal pain. During the course of the hospital stay, while she was on appropriate antibiotics, her abdominal pain worsened due to acute appendicitis. She underwent an appendectomy and had an uneventful recovery. This is the first case, to our knowledge, of acute appendicitis caused by XDR S. typhi.

Although appropriate antibiotics are the mainstay of treatment for typhoid fever, physicians should be mindful that surgical consultation may be necessary in certain cases.

Typhoid appendicitis and 'the man from Istanbul'

We describe typhoid appendicitis in a 19-year-old girl. The appendix showed aggregates of macrophages in the mucosa and in the wall. Blood culture yielded Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi. The presence of macrophages in an appendicectomy specimen should prompt the pathologist to consider the possibility of typhoid fever, even in the absence of supporting microbiological investigations.