About Salmonella and Salmonellosis
Salmonella is a bacterium that causes one of the most common enteric (intestinal) infections in the United States. In 2006, over 40,000 cases were reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Overall, the incidence of Salmonella in the United States has not changed significantly since 1996. Only a small proportion of all Salmonella infections are diagnosed and reported to health departments. The CDC estimates that 1.4 million cases, 15,000 hospitalizations, and 400 deaths are caused by Salmonella infections in the United States every year.
People are infected by ingesting the bacteria. Salmonella are found in the intestinal tract of wild and domesticated animals and humans. Contaminated foods of animal origin, such as poultry, pork, beef, unpasteurized milk, or eggs, are often the source of infection. However, all foods, including vegetables, may become contaminated. Since Salmonella is found in the feces of animals, people may become infected when coming into contact with animals or their environment. Pets such as snakes, turtles, lizards and other reptiles, frogs and baby chicks/ducklings are known to transmit Salmonella to people. Also, an infected person can transmit the bacteria via the fecal-oral route.
Symptoms of Salmonella infection
The most common clinical presentation of a Samonella infection is acute gastroenteritis. Symptoms include diarrhea, and abdominal cramps, often accompanied by fever of 100°F to 102°F. Other symptoms may include bloody diarrhea, vomiting, headache and body aches. The incubation period, or the time from ingestion of the bacteria until the symptoms start, is generally 6 to 72 hours, however, in there is evidence that sometimes the incubation can be as long as 10 days. People with salmonellosis usually recover without treatment within 3 to 7 days.
In approximately 5 percent of non-typhoidal infections, patients develop bacteremia (Salmonella found in the blood). In a small proportion of those cases, the bacteria can cause a focal infection, where it becomes localized in a tissue and causes an abscess, arthritis, endocarditis, or other severe illness. A small proprotion of persons with a Salmonella infection develop a complication called reactive arthritis (Reiter’s Syndrome). Symptoms include inflammation of the joints, the genitourinary tract, or the eyes.
S. Typhi and Paratyphi generally cause a bacteremic illness of long duration. This illness is called enteric, typhoid, or paratyphoid fever. Symptoms start gradually, and include fever, headache, malaise, lethargy, and abdominal pain. In children, it can present as a non-specific fever. The incubation period for S. Typhi is usually 8 to 14 days, but it can range from 3 to 60 days.
Detection and treatment of Salmonella infection
Salmonella bacteria can be detected in stool. In cases of bacteremia or invasive illness, the bacteria can also be detected in the blood, urine, or on rare occasions in tissues. The test consists of growing the bacteria in culture.
Salmonella infections usually resolve in 3 to 7 days, and many times require no treatment. Persons with severe diarrhea may require rehydration. Antimicrobial therapy (or treatment with antibiotics) is not recommended for uncomplicated gastroenteritis. However, antimicrobial therapy is recommended for persons at increased risk of invasive disease, including infants younger than 3 months of age. When antibiotic treatment is indicated, ampicillin, amoxicillin, or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole is recommended. Ceftriaxone, cefotaxime or flouroquinolones are effective options for antimicrobial-resistant strains; except, fluoroquinolones are not approved for persons under 18 years of age. For persons with invasive disease, treatment with an expanded-spectrum cephalosporin is recommended, until it is known if the bacteria is susceptible to one of the more commonly used antibiotics listed above.
The selection of effective antibiotics is critical for the treatment of invasive Salmonella infections, but has become more difficult as antibiotic-resistance has increased. Antibiotic-resistant Salmonella have been isolated from various food products, and have been the causative agent in several foodborne disease outbreaks in the United States. Traceback investigations in outbreak settings have shown animals to be the ultimate source of infection. Antibiotic use in the animal industry is thought to contribute greatly to the prevalence of multidrug-resistant infections in humans.
Preventing Salmonella infection
To prevent salmonellosis, always wash your hands before and during cooking, and before eating. Cook poultry, pork, beef and eggs thorughly. Poultry should reach an internal temperature of 165 ºF, ground beef and pork should reach 160ºF, and eggs until the yoke is solid or until they reach 160ºF. Do not eat or drink foods containing raw eggs (e.g., homemade eggnog, hollandaise sauce, and undercooked French toast). Never drink raw (unpasteurized) milk. Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with raw foods of animal origin. Avoid cross-contamination, by keeping raw foods of animal origin separate from foods that do not require further cooking.
Wash hands with soap after after contact with animals, their environment or their feces.
Reptiles, amphibians or birds, or any elements of their housing (such as water bowls) should never be allowed in the kitchen. Avoid eating in animal barns, and wash your hands with soap and water after visiting petting zoos or farm settings.
Avoid preparing food for others when you are experiencing diarrhea or vomiting, and wash your hands thoroughly after going to the bathroom.
Richardson Elementary School students in Lee's Summit, MO were sent home with warning letters yesterday after two kindergartners were hospitalized with 
One that is somewhat new, however, is from last Friday when Union International Food Company recalled Lian How Brand White Peppers with red labels because of possible 
In a 
One lot must be a lot because there were enough cantaloupes to fulfill the needs of Walmart Supercenter Stores in North Carolina and South Carolina, and in the Walmart Supercenter Store located at 315 Furr Street in South Hill, Virginia. The cants were sold between the 10th and 15th of this month.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate an ongoing multi-state outbreak of human Salmonella serotype Saintpaul infections. An epidemiologic investigation comparing foods eaten by ill and well persons has identified consumption of raw tomatoes as the likely source of the illnesses. The specific type and source of tomatoes is under investigation; however, the data suggest that illnesses are linked to consumption of raw red plum, red Roma, or round red tomatoes, or any combination of these types of tomatoes, and to products containing these raw tomatoes.
The FDA is now working to narrow the investigation. As part of this, the agency is sending teams of multi-disciplinary experts to both Mexico and Florida this weekend to conduct joint inspections of the farms and other critical points on the supply chain where the tomatoes may have become contaminated..jpg)
The 
The settlement terms are confidential, according to Sheetz attorney Gary Zimmerman and Marler, who represented more than 130 of the sickened customers.
State health officials confirmed three more salmonella cases in the Sierra Vista area, raising the number investigated to 24.
A lawsuit was filed today against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the company whose Greenwood, Indiana, store was the source of a 
Public health professionals will soon have a clearer picture of the magnitude of food poisoning across Europe, thanks to a new European project which aims to improve the surveillance of food-borne infections across the continent.
Change in food-borne illness control became necessary because of the way food is distributed in the United States, reports Susan Brink of the Times. In the old days of food poisoning, the source usually could be traced back to a local event: potato salad at a family picnic or bad chicken at a church supper. Today, with massive amounts of food going from farms to food processing centers and then mixing with food from other farms before heading to tables in all 50 states, outbreaks are far less likely to be local, and thus, far more difficult to notice.
Some frozen chicken entrees, such as Chicken Kiev and Chicken Cordon Bleu, have been linked to salmonella poisoning in consumers who thought they were microwaving pre-cooked meat. In fact, the entrees contained raw meat and the microwave did not sufficiently cook them.
Food-borne illnesses can strike after meals at restaurants or at home, and young children, who can get dehydrated quickly, are at greatest risk.
Salmonella
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency and Wendy's Restaurants of Canada, Inc. are warning the public not to consume Wendy's Homestyle Garlic Croutons because the product may be contaminated with 
The Rutherford-Polk-McDowell District Health Department has confirmed three 
Pasteurization kills bacteria present in food. As long as cross-contamination does not occur (from hands, utensils or other foods) pasteurized foods should be safe for even those in high risk groups.
Salmonella is one of the most common intestinal infections in the U.S. The reported incidence of Salmonella illnesses are about 17 cases per each 100,000 persons.
Indiana State health officials over the last two weeks reported that the source of the recent 
A lawsuit was filed today against Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., the company whose Greenwood, Indiana, store was the source of a 
