A Comparative Study of typhidot and widal test for Rapid Diagnosis of Typhoid Fever

Abstract

A B S T R A C T Typhoid fever is a major public health problem associated with significant morbidity and mortality in many countries. There is a need for a quick and reliable diagnostic test for typhoid fever as an alternative to the Widal test. This study was aimed to evaluate typhidot vis-a-vis blood culture and Widal test in children. Patients aged 6 months to 12 years, having fever of more than four days duration with clinical suspicion of typhoid fever were enrolled. Patients in whom other diagnosis was made served as control. The tests under scrutiny were validated against blood culture and then all the three tests were evaluated among patients who presented in the first week of illness. Of 100 children with suspected typhoid fever, the disease was confirmed bacteriologically in 20, whereas 50 patients were considered to have typhoid fever on clinical grounds. An alternative diagnosis was made in 30 cases. The typhidot test was found to be superior to the Widal test in its diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. Typhidot is a practical alternative to widal test for the diagnosis of typhoid fever.