“Typhus is a disease that attacks humans due to infection with the Salmonella typhi bacteria. Someone can find out whether they have typhus or not by doing a widal test.”
HalodocJakarta – Typhus or typhoid fever is a disease that attacks humans due to a bacterial infection called Salmonella typhi. Usually, someone who has typhus is infected through food or drink that is not clean and contains feces of people with typhus.
There are several symptoms that a person can experience when suffering from typhoid fever. However, because the symptoms are not specific to this disease, a person can do a widal test to confirm the diagnosis. Here’s information about the widal test for typhoid that you need to know!
How the Widal Test Works
This typhus test works by looking at the reaction of the body’s antigens and antibodies against the bacteria. When bacteria enter the body in the form of antigens, the body’s immune will provide resistance against these antigens. The antibodies that are sought from this test are homologous antibodies in the patient’s blood sample.
The way the widal test works is if these antibodies appear in the blood sample, there will be a reaction with certain antigens and clots will appear. There are two methods for carrying out this test, namely by method slides or tube.
1. Method slides
Method slides consists of two stages, the first qualitative then quantitative. In the first stage, there will be a slides with six reaction circles. The medical expert will take the patient’s blood and then test the blood in each of these circles.
Once done, the medical expert can see if the result is a positive or negative test based on the clumps in the sample. If the result is positive, the next stage is a quantitative test. This test aims to confirm the diagnosis by equalizing the positive results on both tests.
2. Tube method
Another test method that you can use is the standard tube method. This method will be more practical and faster because it works using eight tubes to dilute and then observe. The tube method can effectively confirm a fever.
Is the Widal Test Good for Typhus Diagnosis?
This test is often used by doctors to provide a diagnosis of typhoid fever because this test is quite effective, fast and affordable. However, this test still has some drawbacks, such as:
- The result may show a false positive if you have had previous vaccinations or a bacterial infection S. typhi.
- This test cannot distinguish between previous infections, current infections, or bacterial vaccinations S. typhi.
- False positive results can occur in people with acute falciparum malaria, rheumatoid arthritis, nephrotic syndrome, myelomatosis, and liver disease.
Why Do You Have to Do a Test to Diagnose Typhoid?
Typhus is a disease that can harm the body if it doesn’t get the appropriate treatment. A person may initially only experience diarrhea, dizziness, and stomach pain. However, in certain cases typhus can cause serious complications up to death. Therefore, it is important to carry out tests and confirm a diagnosis for prompt treatment.
Moreover, without antibiotics and bacterial drugs S. typhi won’t go away. People with typhus can transmit this disease to other people. Then, in several lines of work such as medical workers and work related to food, sufferers cannot come to work until it is confirmed that they are not carrying this bacteria.
That’s information about the Widal test for typhus. You can find out if you need this test by finding out what are the stages of symptoms of someone experiencing typhus.
If you still have questions about this condition or feel you are showing symptoms of typhus, you can schedule a consultation with an expert from the application Halodoc. Contact a doctor easily and practically through the application Halodoc.
What are you waiting for? Come on downloads Halodoc right now!
Reference:
Metropolis. Accessed in 2023. Widal Test – Introduction, Principle and Procedure.
CDC. Accessed in 2023. Symptoms & Treatment.
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