Chloromycetin
250 · 500mg
Chloramphenicol 250mg and 500mg hard capsules, used for bacterial infection and typhoid fever. It binds the 50S ribosomal subunit in bacteria.
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Typhoid Fever
Typhoid fever is a systemic bacterial infection caused by Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi. It spreads through food or water contaminated with faeces from an infected person. The disease remains a significant public health concern in places where sanitation gaps create ongoing transmission risk.
Key points
- Infection with Salmonella Typhi bacteria takes hold after swallowing food or water tainted by contaminated faeces.
- A high, sustained fever paired with a pulse that stays slower than expected is a distinctive clinical clue.
- Left untreated, the illness can drag on for weeks and risks serious complications such as a perforated bowel.
- Antibiotics are the core treatment, with chloramphenicol having served historically as an early option.
Symptoms and antibiotic treatment
The illness typically begins with a sustained high fever, headache, and abdominal pain. A relative slowness of the pulse (relative bradycardia) alongside a rising temperature is a classic clinical sign. Without treatment, symptoms can persist for weeks and serious complications, including intestinal perforation, may develop.
Antibiotic therapy is the mainstay of treatment. Chloramphenicol was historically the first-line agent and is still used in some settings. See the antibiotics category for the range of agents used against bacterial infections. If fever does not settle within a few days of starting antibiotics, or if symptoms worsen sharply, seek medical attention promptly.