A cook at a popular Bayside, Florida Chili’s Grill and Bar apparently worked for a period of time while ill and contagious with Salmonella typhi, the strain that causes typhoid fever, reported NBC Miami today.

While no patron illnesses have been reported thus far, hundreds of people may have consumed food prepared by the cook while ill.

The symptoms of typhoid fever may include constipation, cough, sore throat, headache, and a rash on the infected individual’s chest, as well as the slowing of the heartbeat and enlargement of the liver and spleen (Mayo Clinic, 2007, April 12).  The onset of symptoms usually occurs between 5 and 21 days after ingestion of Salmonella typhi bacteria.