What is the prognosis (outcome) for patients infected with Salmonella?
The prognosis for salmonellosis is very good since it is a self-limiting disease in about 80% of patients. Even immunosuppressed patients can do well if the disease is diagnosed and treated promptly. Complications occur if patients become dehydrated or if the disease is caused by aggressive or drug-resistant serovars. Patients diagnosed with paratyphoid fever usually do well and develop fewer complications than patients with typhoid fever. If patients with paratyphoid or typhoid fever are diagnosed early and appropriate antibiotics are given, few or no complications develop and the patients recover. Untreated cases of typhoid result in about 30% of patients developing complications that can be severe and result in permanent disability or death. Patients infected with S. typhi serovars that are resistant to multiple drugs have a worse prognosis and can develop more complications.
