What is Salmonella?
Salmonella is a bacterium that can cause salmonellosis, characterized by diarrhea, nausea, headache, abdominal pain and sometimes vomiting. Most people become infected after eating food that has been contaminated with the bacteria, usually through the feces of an infected animal or person. Almost any animal and human can be infected with Salmonella, but animals can carry the disease without getting sick themselves.
What are the most frequent sources of Salmonella infection?
Any kind of food, drink or pharmaceutical can be contaminated with Salmonella. Milk and eggs are the most common sources of Salmonella infection, but meat, fresh fruits and vegetables may also be contaminated. Children can get Salmonella from handling pet chicks, ducks, other farm animals, turtles and iguanas. Water can also be contaminated and along with milk, can affect the largest number of people simply because of the mass consumption of water and milk.
How do animal feces or human feces with Salmonella end up in my food?
Here are some examples of how feces can get into your food:- An infected person who prepares food may not wash hands properly after going to the bathroom, and minuscule quantities of feces on the hands get on the food.
- Crops are grown either where animals are present, or using fertilizer that is contaminated with Salmonella through animal feces or other animal byproducts. Salmonella can be on the outside of fruits or vegetables and the fruit is contaminated when it is sliced, as bacteria from the outside are carried to the inside on the knife.
- Eggs may have chicken feces on the shell that contaminate food when the egg is cracked. Milk may be contaminated with cow feces.
What are the signs and symptoms of salmonella?
Anywhere from six to 72 hours after becoming infected, and usually around 12 to 36 hours after infection, the following symptoms appear:- Headache
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Nausea
- Fever, almost always present
- Dehydration especially occurs in babies and the elderly.
How is Salmonella diagnosed and treated?
Salmonella is detected in the feces, so a stool sample will have to be provided to a laboratory. Blood tests are not helpful in diagnosing Salmonella infection.Most cases of Salmonella are treated by simply making sure the person who is sick drinks plenty of fluids and prevents dehydration by drinking oral rehydration salts (ORS). ORS can be bought at a pharmacy, and prepared formulas can also be used such as Pedialyte, Gatorade or their equivalents. The American Public Health Association does not recommend antibiotic treatment for uncomplicated Salmonella. Salmonella can be confused with other food-borne illnesses such as norovirus and E. coli.
What happens if Salmonella gets complicated?
Salmonella is a dangerous disease in the very young, the very old and anyone who is in a weakened state of health, such as those with HIV/AIDs. Salmonella infection can lead to infection in the entire body, or in certain parts causing a type of arthritis, abscesses, heart infection, pneumonia and kidney problems, among other health problems.Antibiotics may be prescribed in the case of complications due to Salmonella. Ciprofloxacin is the antibiotic of choice for most types of salmonella. Children should not take ciprofloxacin, but can take amoxicillin or ampicillin under supervision of a pediatrician. TMP-SMX and chloramphenicol can be used as second line drugs when the Salmonella strain is resistant to the first treatment of antibiotics (in parts of the U.S. and Europe, bacterial resistance to ciprofloxacin is widespread).
How can I prevent Salmonella?
There is no immunization against salmonellosis.- Food handlers should always wash hands properly before and after handling food and after using the bathroom. They should avoid preparing food at all if they have diarrhea. In fact, if a food handler has had a Salmonella infection, it may takes several days to weeks before the bacteria is cleared from the body entirely.
- Cook food thoroughly before eating and do not place cooked food on a surface used for raw food. Be smart at restaurants and order safe food.
- Wash fresh fruit and vegetables well and peel if possible.
- Wash hands properly after using the bathroom and before and after preparing or eating food.
- Properly compost manure before using it as fertilizer in your garden and avoid commercially-produced animal-derived inputs unless they are guaranteed to be free of harmful bacteria and viruses.
If I get Salmonella when will I finally get rid of the bacteria?
Even though you will get better within several days to weeks, Salmonella can persist for longer, making you able to infect others with Salmonella. Babies can even carry Salmonella for more than a year after having the infection themselves.
A word about names for Salmonella
A new naming system for Salmonella has come from better DNA identification of the Salmonella bacteria, so now only two species are recognized, Salmonella bogori and Salmonella enterica. That said, there are hundreds of kinds of serovars, variations of the two bacteria mentioned above, but only ones from subspecies I of Salmonella enterica cause disease in humans.
Is Typhoid fever a type of salmonella?
Yes, strictly speaking. Typhoid fever is caused by S. enterica serovar Typhi. It used to be called S. Typhii. There is an immunization against Typhoid fever, but it is not usually recommended in the U.S., but it is recommended for travelers to countries where Typhoid fever is ever present. Do not confuse Typhoid fever with Typhus fever, a completely different disease.
Source
Chin, J. (2000). Control of communicable diseases manual[\i]. Washington D.C. USA: American Public Health Association.