Pharyngeal Typhoid: A Rare Complication of Typhoid Fever

A 21-year-old English woman presented with a 6-day history of a fever after returning from a trip to Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia. A physical examination revealed an ulcerous lesion on her palate (Picture). She was admitted and intravenous ceftriaxone was started. Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi was isolated from a blood culture. Defervescence occurred on the seventh day of admission, and the lesion disappeared. According to the antibiotic susceptibility testing results, oral levofloxacin was prescribed. The patient completed a 14-day regimen without serious complications. Typhoid fever is a common cause of febrile illness in travelers returning from South-central and Southeast Asia. Ulcers in the upper respiratory tract are a reportedly rare complication of typhoid fever. Baer reported an occurrence rate of approximately 2% according to his experience and literature review (1). Osler also mentioned the existence of laryngeal ulcers in patients with typhoid fever (2).