- Blood culture is considered the gold standard for confirming typhoid fever because it directly detects the presence of Salmonella Typhi bacteria in the bloodstream during the early phase of the disease.
- It offers high specificity and allows for antibiotic susceptibility testing.
- Other tests like the Widal test and rapid antibody tests rely on antibody detection, which can be non-specific and influenced by prior vaccination or infection.
- Stool culture is less sensitive in the early stages.

Reference: Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, Volume 2, Infectious Diseases / Typhoid Fever