Common conditions

What you need to know about Salmonella

From summertime’s outdoor activities like barbecues and picnics to winter’s festive feasts filled with platters of meats and cheeses, many of life’s occasions demand preparing and storing food outside of the kitchen. While all these delicious foods can satisfy your appetite for fun and connection, they can also increase your risk of food poisoning. This type of foodborne illness is most often caused by Salmonella, which is a type of bacteria that can make you sick to your stomach. If you’re worried sick about getting sick, uncover the truth about Salmonella, how often outbreaks occur, and the signs of a Salmonella infection. Then, get a taste of the treatments and tips to stay well while you eat well.

The raw truth about Salmonella

If you’ve ever enjoyed a delicious meal only to find yourself waking up hours later, doubled over in pain feeling queasy and uneasy, then you may have already experienced a Salmonella infection. Salmonella is a kind of bacteria that causes a foodborne illness known as salmonellosis. Salmonella bacteria are frequently found in raw, undercooked, unwashed or contaminated foods. Frighteningly, the bacteria can lurk in more than just a rare burger at a barbecue and has been detected in many foods, from eggs, meats, and cheeses to vegetables, fruits, and herbs.

Incidence of the infection

Food poisoning strikes so often that it’s enough to make you lose your appetite. With the recent rise of foodborne illnesses and recalls on contaminated foods, it’s enough to make you nervous that your next snack will make you sick. Along with being the leading cause of food poisoning, Salmonella is the bacteria to blame for more hospitalizations and deadly cases related to foodborne illness than any other bacteria. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Salmonella causes approximately 1.35 million Americans to get sick every year. And that figure is most likely low because only about one in every 30 Salmonella infections is diagnosed, since most people that get food poisoning don’t bother to visit a doctor. While food poisoning can affect anyone at any time, the risk of an infection increases for the following groups of people:

• Children under age 5
• Adults age 50 and over with pre-existing medical conditions
• Adults age 65 and older
• People with weakened immune systems
• Individuals who travel internationally

Causes of the uncomfortable effects

How do you get Salmonella infections? Well, there are plenty of opportunities for the things you eat to become contaminated and make you sick. Maybe it’s the summertime heat causing bacteria in the air to flourish during your cookout. Perhaps, it’s food being left unrefrigerated on a buffet table for hours to sit out before it’s served up. Or, it’s simply consuming an unwashed piece of fruit or drinking raw or unpasteurized milk. Consuming these kinds of foods can be dangerous and even deadly. There are several ways for a Salmonella infection to spread including:

• Eating raw or undercooked meat, poultry, or seafood.
• Consuming raw or unpasteurized dairy products like raw milk and soft cheeses that are contaminated with Salmonella. The pasteurization process kills off bacteria, so without it, the bacteria can linger and make you sick.
• Having raw, unwashed fruits, vegetables, herbs, or nuts that have been contaminated with Salmonella.
• Eating raw or undercooked eggs, which may be used in salad dressings, omelets, or cookie dough.
• Cross-contamination in kitchens due to preparing foods with unwashed utensils or dirty hands that are contaminated with the bacteria.
• Drinking contaminated water.
• Having contact with certain healthy pets and animals that carry the bacteria.

Stomach-turning symptoms

With Salmonella, symptoms of an infection are usually more uncomfortable than an upset stomach. Symptoms usually start as soon as six hours and up to six days after exposure and can last up to seven days. The most common signs of a Salmonella infection include:

• Diarrhea
• Stomach cramps
• Fever
• Vomiting
• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Headache

Treatments you can swallow

If you’re suffering from the unsettling symptoms of a Salmonella infection, you may be wondering how long does Salmonella last? Most of the time, symptoms subside on their own in two or three days by drinking plenty of water and fluids to prevent dehydration. But sometimes, symptoms can be more serious and lead to life-threatening infections in children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. If you experience severe symptoms that last for several days, contact your SignatureMD-affiliated doctor immediately. Serious cases may require antibiotics, while hospitalization may be needed for people who are severely dehydrated.

By understanding the dangers of Salmonella, coming down with a foodborne illness doesn’t have to be on the menu.

Sources:

• https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/about/index.html
• https://medlineplus.gov/salmonellainfections.html
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/emsalmonellaem-is-sneaky-watch-out-202405293044

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