Typhoid fever in pregnancy

Fourteen cases of typhoid fever complicating pregnancy are presented. The diagnosis was confirmed by blood cultures in 13 patients and by a rising Widal titer in one. Stool cultures were positive in only two out of five patients; urine cultures in 12 patients and cervical cultures in five patients were all negative. The clinical presentation was similar to the description in older reports, except for the absence of relative bradycardia. Hypothermic response to antipyretics was frequently observed. Patients were treated with either chloramphenicol, ampicillin, or amoxicillin, with satisfactory response. Typhoid fever diagnosed in the latter part of the second trimester and third trimester and treated early did not seem to alter the neonatal outcome.