The first signs of a salmonella infection (called salmonellosis) usually start within 12 to 72 hours from when you ingest this nasty bacterium. Symptoms include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Older people, babies and people with immune system problems are more likely to get severely ill from salmonellosis. In healthy people, the infection usually passes after two to seven days without treatment as long as they drink plenty of fluids.
Diarrhea
Many kinds of bacteria and illnesses can cause a person to have diarrhea. Lab tests are needed to determine whether you have a salmonella infection. You provide your doctor with a stool sample for this testing. Sometimes, the diarrhea can be so severe that people need hospitalization so that intravenous fluids can be given for rehydration. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these people are at risk for the infection spreading from their intestines into their bloodstream, which can affect other parts of the body and cause death if not treated with antibiotics. The CDC also says that people with diarrhea usually recover, but it can take several months for their bowel habits to return to normal.
Fever
The fever with salmonellosis doesn't usually rise above 102 degrees unless there are complicating factors. One type of salmonella bacteria called Salmonella typhi causes sustained fevers as high as 103 to 104 degrees, according to the CDC. This type of salmonellosis is named typhoid fever. If you have a fever this high and have traveled to a developing country in the past five to 21 days, you could have typhoid fever. The infection is caused by exposure to food or water that has been handled by someone with typhoid fever or been contaminated with human feces. About 400 cases of typhoid fever occur in the U.S. each year, according to the CDC. The disease is treated with antibiotics and can be prevented with a vaccination.
Abdominal Cramps
Abdominal cramps are characterized by pain between the ribs and thighs. In salmonellosis, vomiting and nausea can accompany the cramps, along with bloody stools. The infection causes the muscles of the intestines to go into a spasm. According to the American Medical Association (AMA), cramps caused by salmonellosis often come on suddenly and if the cramps are accompanied by diarrhea. Also, according to the AMA, abdominal pain lasting more than six hours that's not relieved by vomiting should prompt you to seek immediate medical attention. As the salmonellosis infection clears, the abdominal pain passes.
