Typhoid fever

Typhoid fever, also known simply as typhoid, is a bacterial infection due to Salmonella typhi that causes symptoms. Symptoms may vary from mild to severe and usually begin six to thirty days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several days. Weakness, abdominal pain, constipation, and headaches also commonly occur.Diarrhea is uncommon and vomiting is not usually severe. Some people develop a skin rash with rose colored spots. In severe cases there may be confusion. Without treatment symptoms may last weeks or months. Other people may carry the bacterium without being affected; however, they are still able to spread the disease to others. Typhoid fever is a type of enteric fever along with paratyphoid fever.

The cause is the bacterium Salmonella typhi, also known as Salmonella enterica serotype typhi, growing in the intestines and blood. Typhoid is spread by eating or drinking food or water contaminated with the feces of an infected person. Risk factors include poor sanitation and poor hygiene. Those who travel to the developing world are also at risk. Humans are the only animal infected. Diagnosis is by either culturing the bacteria or detecting the bacterium's DNA in the blood, stool, or bone marrow. Culturing the bacterium can be difficult. Bone marrow testing is the most accurate. Symptoms are similar to that of many other infectious diseases.Typhus is a different disease.

Typhoid Mary (comics)

Typhoid Mary (Mary Walker), also known as Typhoid, Walker, Bloody Mary and Mutant Zero, is a fictional character, a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of Daredevil and Deadpool.

Publication history

Typhoid Mary first appeared in Daredevil #254, and was created by Ann Nocenti and John Romita, Jr. Her name comes from early 20th-century Irish-American cook and typhoid fever carrier "Typhoid Mary" Mallon.

In the pages of Avengers: The Initiative a mysterious character named Mutant Zero was shown. Writer Dan Slott stated that she was secretly a well-known character in disguise.

She first appeared as Mutant Zero in Avengers: The Initiative #4 as a member of Henry Peter Gyrich's black ops team but it wasn't until issue #20 that she was finally revealed to be Typhoid Mary.

Fictional character biography

Typhoid Mary is an enemy and former lover of Daredevil with low level psionic powers, including telekinesis. She has been a professional criminal employed by organized crime syndicates as an assassin in the past. She is also gravely mentally ill.