Salmonella are rod-shaped bacteria found all over the environment in water, soil, home surfaces, animal feces, raw meat, raw poultry and raw seafood. The organisms are of importance to humans because of the diseases they cause such as food poisoning and typhoid fever, with its fever, diarrhea, and rash. The primary disease caused by salmonella is called salmonellosis which causes 1.4 million cases of food poisoning and 500 deaths each year in the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Mode of Transmission
Salmonella is found in the intestinal tract of humans, animals and birds; and outbreaks usually occur with fecal contamination. Several food types are commonly contaminated, according to the Mayo Clinic. Raw eggs may become contaminated before the shell is developed if the chicken is infected. Outbreaks may occur when these eggs are used uncooked in food preparation for homemade mayonnaise and hollandaise sauces. Raw meat and poultry may become infected during slaughterhouse processing. This may occur if meat products are exposed to the contents of ruptured intestines. If the meat is eaten raw or undercooked, this may cause an outbreak. Seafood contamination occurs with contaminated water. If water is infected with fecal matter, the bacteria are able to infect seafood and became a danger if eaten raw. Fruits and vegetables may become contaminated during irrigation or washing with contaminated water. Juices from raw meat and poultry may contaminate salads if the same cutting boards are used without disinfection.
Symptoms
When an outbreak occurs, patients usually suffer from similar symptoms. Gastroenteritis or stomach illness may occur from eating under cooked poultry, meat and eggs. Incubation may be several hours or days with symptoms including fever, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain, headaches, muscle pain, bloody stools and chills. Typhoid fever usually occurs after a visit to an endemic country and symptoms occur five to 21 days after infection. Symptoms include a high fever of 102 degrees F, rose-colored spots on the chest, diarrhea or constipation, slow heartbeat, mental confusion, cough, and enlarged liver and spleen.
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is usually done with a patient history of symptoms, diet and travel history to locate the source of infection or outbreak. Blood tests may be done to test for the presence of bacteria in the blood. If a major outbreak occurs, efforts are made to correlate patient histories in order to locate source of outbreak. Sources can include food, produce, and water so it is vital that patients provide as much information as possible.
Treatment
The primary treatment option is antibiotics for an infection of the blood. Antidiarrheals such as loperamide (Imodium) may be given to stop diarrhea and cramping.
Prevention
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, good hygiene is a priority when dealing with food, pets, and children. Make sure to wash hands, utensil, dishes, counter tops, and cutting boards with warm, soapy water after handling food. Fecal contamination from children and pets may spread the disease. It is also safer to use different cutting boards for different foods like meat, seafood, and vegetables to avoid cross contamination. Food must also be cooked properly. Meat should be cooked at 160 degrees F, poultry and leftovers at 165 degrees F, and seafood at 145 degrees F with a food thermometer. Chilling is also important and guidelines suggest freezers should be at 0 degrees F while refrigerators should be at 40 degrees F or below. Thawing of food should be done in the refrigerator.
