Salmonella typhi is famous.  It’s killed millions since it first received attention in 430 BC when it swept through Athens and killed one third of the population–including their leader, Pericles.  More commonly known as “Typhoid Fever,” salmonella typhi is identified as a “serious public health problem” by the World Health Organization (WHO).  Anywhere from 16-33 million cases worldwide are reported annually.  People still die from this disease today–about 216,000 per year–most frequently in locations where food is not cleansed and handled properly.

Salmonella typhi presents with a number of symptoms including fever, heavy sweating, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, headache, cough, bloody noses, and rose-colored spots.  Lasting for as many as four weeks, typhoid fever can also seriously affect the lungs, spleen, liver, and brain.  As with most salmonella strains, infection generally comes from cross-contamination of contaminated foods to clean, ready-to-eat foods.  Poor sanitation and personal hygiene are also major factors.  In locations where salmonella typhi is prevalent, animals and insects are in regular contact with both feces and ready-to-eat foods, spreading bacteria from one to the other.  In the United States, salmonella typhi infections have been reduced due to education about the importance of hand washing after using the bathroom and covering the mouth and nose when coughing.  In addition to these personal hygiene measures, we are also fortunate to enjoy modern plumbing and chlorinated water that separate us from the bacteria our bodies produce.

Unlike most foodborne illnesses, certain persons infected with typhoid fever may not even know they’re sick.  In one famous case, a woman named Mary Mallon infected 53 people during her career as a cook–three of whom died.  Although she denied being infected with salmonella typhi until her death, the disease followed her from home to home, leaving a trail of suffering in her wake.  Typhoid Mary unwittingly infected the families for whom she worked by coughing, sneezing, not washing her hands, and then handling ready-to-eat foods and preparing beverages.  The legacy she left behind when she passed away from unrelated causes, was the critical importance of hand washing, vaccination, and cooking food thoroughly. Click here and here for some period posters about the ability to prevent this disease.

Finally, here is a list of famous victims of salmonella typhi:

• Abigail Adams–second First Lady of the United States
• Louisa May Alcott–author of Little Women
• Charles Darwin–naturalist, author of On the Origin of Species
• Mary Todd Lincoln–wife of Abraham Lincoln
• Wilbur Wright–one of the Wright Brothers
• Anne Frank–famous diary writer (Diary of Anne Frank)
• Pericles–famous orator and statesman in ancient Athens

Facts Source:  Wikipedia