Enteric fever

Enteric fever is a medical term encompassing two types of salmonellosis, which, specifically, are typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever. Enteric fever is a potentially life-threatening acute febrile systemic infection and is diagnosed by isolating a pathogen on culture. Typhoid fever is caused by the Salmonella enterica bacteria, serotype typhi, while paratyphoid fever is caused by the Salmonella enterica bacteria, serotype paratyphi A, B, or C. These Salmonella enterica bacteria serovars that cause enteric fever only have human hosts, as opposed to other types of salmonellosis-causing Salmonella bacteria which often have animal reservoirs.