Salmonella Infections

SALMONELLA

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that causes the infection Salmonellosis. Salmonella live in the intestinal tracts of humans and another animals. There are many different kinds of Salmonella bacteria. Salmonella Typhimurium and Salmonella Enteritidis are the most common in the U.S. Salmonellosis is more common in the summer than in the winter. Salmonella is usually transmitted to humans by eating foods that have been contaminated with animal feces. Contaminated foods are very deceiving because they usually look and smell normal. They are often of animal origin, such as beef, poultry, milk, or eggs, but any food, including vegetables, may also become contaminated. When cooking such foods, it is very important that they are cooked thoroughly to avoid the chance of becoming infected. Every year, approximately 40,000 cases of salmonellosis are reported in the U.S. However, since milder cases are not diagnosed or reported, the actual number of infections may be 30 or more times greater.

In the beginning of 2011, there was an investigation held of a multistate outbreak in the U.S. of human Salmonella Hadar infections that were associated with turkey burgers. As of April 1, 2011, 12 people were infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Hadar in a total of 10 states; Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, Ohio, Washington, and Wisconsin. All of which had a reported1 case of infection each with the exception of Wisconsin, which had 3. The Jennie-O Turkey Store in Willmar, Minnesota recalled approximately 55,000 pounds of frozen, raw turkey burger products that may have been contaminated.

Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, 12 to 72 hours after exposure. Determining that Salmonella is the cause of the illness depends on lab tests that identify it in the stool of an infected person. Once it has been identified, further testing can determine its specific type. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment. However, in some cases, the diarrhea may be so severe that they may need to be hospitalized. In such cases, the infection may have spread from the intestines into the blood stream, and then to other sites of the body that can cause death unless treated promptly with antibiotics. Antibiotics that can be used are Ampicillin, Bactrim, or Ciprofloxacin. However, some Salmonella bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics because of the use of them to promote the growth of food animals.

There is no vaccine to prevent salmonellosis. Since foods of animal origin may be contaminated with Salmonella, it is recommended that raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, or meat should not be eaten. Poultry and meat should be well cooked and not pink in the middle, despite personal preferences. People should also not consume raw or unpasteurized