Salmonella

Salmonella is a prokaryotic, rod shaped, bacterial organism. It is nonsporeforming and Gram-negative.(1) Salmonella is responsible for almost 60 percent of reported cases of bacterial food borne illness and 40 percent of all food borne illness of any kind. Salmonella survives digestion and reproduces in the small intestine, making people sick. Salmonella has hundreds of different types, all of which cause much the same illness in humans. Eating food containing live salmonella bacteria causes salmonellosis. (2)

Anyone can get Salmonella, but it is most common in children under 5 (and in the elderly). Millions of cases occur each year in the United States, and at least half of them are in children. Salmonella is found
Persons with severe diarrhea may require intravenous fluids. Antibiotics are not usually recommended, unless the infection spreads from the intestines to the bloodstream. (1) Treatment of Salmonella should be managed by a physician. Most otherwise healthy children do not benefit from antibiotics used to treat Salmonella, but for some children and some types of Salmonella infections antibiotics are important. Other medicines may also be necessary, depending on the severity and duration of the disease. (2)

There are some very easy steps to preventing Salmonella.
To prevent Salmonella bacterial infection:
• Cook poultry, ground beef, and eggs thoroughly before eating. In order to insure that eggs do not contain viable Salmonella they must be cooked at least until the yoke is solid and meat and poultry must reach 160ºF or greater throughout.
• Do not eat or drink foods containing raw eggs. Examples include homemade eggnog, hollandaise sauce, and undercooked French toast.
• Never drink raw (unpasteurized) milk.
• If you are served undercooked meat, poultry or eggs in a restaurant don't hesitate to send it back to the kitchen for further cooking.
• Wash hands, kitchen work surfaces, and utensils with soap and water immediately after they have been in contact with foods of animal origin.
• Be particularly careful with foods prepared for infants, the elderly, and those with a compromised immune