ABSTRACT
Introduction Typhoid fever is a systemic infection with the facultative intracellular Gram-negative bacterium Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Typhi (S. typhi), which is restricted to the human host. In developing countries typhoid fever is common, and as a result of the emergence and alarming spread of microbial resistance it is increasingly difficult to treat. Current estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) suggest that the worldwide incidence of typhoid fever is approximately 21 million cases annually, with more than 210 000 deaths.
