Nowadays, typhidot is more suggested in suspected cases of typhoid. Preliminary data have shown sensitivity and specificity of 95% and 86%, respectively. Some other journals give it equal marks. While some prefer widal over typhidot.
In my practice, I have not seen any major difference in reliability. Cases with negative typhidot on 2nd day come positive on the 5th day and respond to antibiotics. By that time, widal also shows a positive result, with around half the cost. I need some valuable input from friends on this platform, from their own experiences, about their choice of test on 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th day of fever, to start antibiotic treatment for typhoid.
