HomeAnswersGeneral PractitionertyphoidWhat does a positive typhoid IgG/IgM test and a negative Widal test mean?

My typhoid antibodies detection test was positive, but the Widal test was negative. Why?

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Published At March 4, 2022
Reviewed AtJuly 13, 2023

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

What does a positive typhoid IgG/IgM test and a negative Widal test mean? My typhoid IgG and IgM were positive, but the Widal test was T.O-1:20 and T.H-1:20. Please help.

Answered by Dr. Arpit Varshney

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern. To understand this, you will need a basic understanding of typhoid antibodies. Typhoid antibodies detection tests are of two types: One is quantitative, which detects the amount of IgG and IgM antibodies, and the other one is widal which detects titers. Quantitative tests determine the amount of antibodies in your body which tells the immunity status against typhoid of the body. Whereas, the widal test tells about the current active infection of typhoid. If IgG (Immunoglobulin G) and IgM (Immunoglobulin M) are positive, it means your body has good levels of antibodies to fight typhoid. Your widal is negative (T.O (somatic) more than 1:80 and T.H (flagellar) more than 1:160 is positive). So your widal is negative. So overall conclusion of your reports is that your body has antibodies to fight typhoid and you are currently not infected with typhoid as your widal test is negative. Hope this helps. Kindly revert back in case of further queries. Thank you.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Arpit Varshney
Dr. Arpit Varshney

General Medicine

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