Laboratory Diagnosis of Typhoid Fever Using Blood Culture, Widal and Rapid Diagnostic Tests - A Comparative Study

Dr. Bijayalaxmi Patra

Abstract: Background: Typhoid fever remains a major public health challenge in developing nations, where diagnostic limitations significantly delay treatment. Early and accurate diagnosis is crucial to prevent morbidity and complications. Aim: To compare diagnostic efficacy of blood culture, Widal agglutination test, and Typhidot rapid enzyme immunoassay among clinically suspected cases of enteric fever. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 140 clinically suspected typhoid fever patients. Blood culture, Widal tube agglutination test, and Typhidot dot-enzyme immunoassay were performed. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity were calculated using blood culture and a Composite Reference Standard (CRS). Results: Among week-1 cases (n = 81), blood culture showed 64.19% positivity, Widal 23.45%, and Typhidot 74.07%. In week-2 cases (n = 59), blood culture positivity dropped sharply (10.16%), while Widal and Typhidot showed 71.18% positivity. Typhidot showed overall highest sensitivity. Conclusion: Blood culture continues to be the diagnostic gold standard during early infection phase. However, the Typhidot assay demonstrated consistently high sensitivity and is recommended as a rapid point-of-care tool, especially in resource-limited setups.

Keywords: Typhoid fever diagnosis, Blood culture testing, Widal agglutination test, Typhidot rapid assay, Resource-limited healthcare settings

How to Cite?: Dr. Bijayalaxmi Patra, "Laboratory Diagnosis of Typhoid Fever Using Blood Culture, Widal and Rapid Diagnostic Tests - A Comparative Study", Volume 14 Issue 12, December 2025, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 2041-2042, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=MR251226143708, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/MR251226143708