In March 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requested that Westco/Westcott Food and Nut Company, Inc., recall its peanuts and peanut products, which came from the Peanut Corporation of America. The FDA had evidence suggesting that PCA products were contaminated with the disease-causing bacteria Salmonella typhimurium. Although Westco refused to recall the products--U.S. Marshals seized over $30,000 worth of peanut-containing products--other companies did participate in the voluntary recall; more than 2,000 products were recalled. Currently, the fear of a peanut-related salmonella outbreak has subsided, but consumers should still be aware of the symptoms of salmonella.
Cramping Abdominal Pain
According to the National Institutes of Health website MedlinePlus, one of the most common forms of food poisoning in the United States is Salmonella enterocolitis. This is an infection and inflammation of the intestine due to certain types of salmonella bacteria, including the type found in the peanuts and peanut products recalled by the FDA. The bacteria cause enterocolitis by attaching themselves to the walls of intestinal cells and then invading the cells themselves. As this process occurs, patients will begin feeling symptoms of infection, usually within one to three days of ingesting the contaminated food. The FDA reports that infecting as few as 15 cells in the body can result in symptoms. One of these symptoms is that of abdominal pain and cramping. As the disease runs its course, such symptoms should disappear with no need for treatment.
Fever
Fever is another symptom that is common to gastroenteritis, whether it is caused by bacteria such as salmonella or by a virus. It is a nonspecific symptom; that is, it indicates that something is wrong with the patient but does not give a good clue as to what is actually wrong. In the case of a patient who has consumed salmonella-contaminated peanuts, a fever within a few days of eating the peanuts could be an indication that he has salmonella gastroenteritis. Unlike the symptom of diarrhea, a fever due to gastroenteritis usually only lasts two or three days and then disappears.
Diarrhea
Another common, though nonspecific, symptom suggesting salmonella gastroenteritis is that of diarrhea. An interesting study published in 1994 in "Epidemiology and Infection" investigated the possible association of the amount of bacteria ingested with the severity of symptoms experienced by patients. The authors of the study found that the more bacteria was actually ingested, the more severe diarrhea the patients experienced. This is an important finding because diarrhea increases the risk for patients to become dehydrated--patients who become severely dehydrated may need to be hospitalized to replace the fluids lost from severe diarrhea. Dr. Elizabeth Hohmann, writing in the medical reference UpToDate, suggests that, as with the abdominal cramping many patients experience, the symptom of diarrhea should resolve on its own. Most cases of diarrhea due to salmonella should resolve in about four to 10 days. If the diarrhea does persist longer than this, adds Dr. Hohmann, other possible reasons for diarrhea should be considered.
Bacteremia
Dr. Hohmann, in UpToDate, writes that in less than 5 percent of patients with clearly documented salmonella gastroenteritis, the infection can become so invasive that the patient is said to have bacteremia. Bacteremia is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition in which the bloodstream itself contains the infectious bacteria. Bacteremia, in turn, can lead to a condition called sepsis, in which the body's immune system reacts to the infection within the blood and can cause organ damage, organ failure, or even death. Fortunately, bacteremia is an extremely rare complication of a salmonella infection.
References
- FDA Major Product Recalls: FDA's Investigation
- Bad Bug Book: Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook: Salmonella Spp;
- "UpToDate"; Pathogenesis of Salmonella Gastroenteritis; C. Kotton and E. Hohmann; May 2010
- MedlinePlus: Salmonella Enterocolitis
- "Epidemiology and Infection;" Dose-response Effects in an Outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis; E.D. Mintz et. al.; February 1994
