Salmonella are rod bacteria that live in the intestines of humans and animals. Bacteria are classified as pathogenic; their entry into the body causes the development of infection.
Intestinal diseases are common, and salmonella, which causes salmonellosis, is a leading pathogen.
Salmonellosis is an intestinal disease characterized by the development of microorganisms of this species. Microbes enter the stomach or intestines orally. More often, microorganisms die in the stomach, since there is an acidic environment there.
Penetrating into the small intestine, bacteria begin to disintegrate, causing a person to experience unpleasant symptoms of poisoning. The reason for this is their release of endotoxin.
The first signs of infection appear within two hours. Macrophages protect the body from harmful microbes, but not always successfully - they are quite tenacious.
If you do not respond in time, salmonella can multiply and move to other organs and blood.
Sources of infection are: livestock, chickens, ducks, rodents. A person can become infected through eggs, meat, milk, and cottage cheese.
Salmonella in eggs is very dangerous because this product is in high demand, therefore, the likelihood of contamination is high.
Chicken eggs can be dangerous even before they are laid by a chicken. The second type of infection occurs if microbes are in the chicken’s intestines.
The causative agents of the disease get onto the shell along with particles of droppings.
Therefore, it is important to wash eggs before eating when it comes to homemade products. The store must be cleaned of traces of droppings before sale.
Harmful microbes can be found both inside the product and on the shell. If the shell is not treated within five days, bacteria will penetrate inside. If the shell has minor damage, infection occurs faster. After getting there, microorganisms begin to multiply.
Statistics say that out of twenty thousand, one egg is infected. But with proper care of products, poisoning is minimized.
The carriers of these pathogens are often chickens and ducks. Duck meat is eaten less frequently, which means that chickens are the main source of infection.
There is a myth that fresh goods cannot contain harmful bacteria. Previously, it was argued that organisms could be on the surface and eventually get inside the egg.Representatives of birds do not suffer from this disease, but they carry salmonella. Poultry are more susceptible to this. Almost a quarter of all chickens are carriers.
It is believed that the causative agent of salmonellosis does not affect quail eggs, since the temperature of these birds reaches 42 degrees Celsius, so the microbes die. In reality, everything is not so, the minimum Celsius value should be 55. Anything less does not threaten these microorganisms in any way.
These birds and their products are used for food less often than chicken meat, which cannot be said about chickens. Therefore, this infectious disease is more often recorded among them.
It is impossible to say for sure whether a product is contaminated just by looking at it. In the same way, it is impossible to say whether there will be poisoning if you eat an egg.
To find out for sure, the chickens are examined and a series of laboratory tests are performed. Another thing is that not every bird in a home is subject to inspection, so the risk of infection remains.
You can check eggs at home for freshness. The fresher they are, the lower the likelihood of pathogenic bacteria being present in the product.
If you put an egg that was laid just a couple of days ago in a container of water, it will lie on the bottom, with the blunt end facing up. Otherwise, you may see a sharp end.
A floating product indicates that the egg is old and it is better not to use it.
You can eat raw eggs if you are confident in their freshness and safety. However, you need to remember that salmonella is sometimes found even in domestic eggs, so it is better to refrain.
Eggs must be processed immediately after purchasing them. When washed with detergent, the protective layer of the product is broken, making it susceptible to additional bacteria.
Eggs need to be disinfected in a soda solution.. To do this, dilute 2-3 tablespoons of baking soda in warm water and immerse the product there for a couple of minutes.
The microorganism affects both the shell and the white and yolk, so you can become infected by eating raw, soft-boiled, or fried eggs.
Heat treatment is the only way to prevent infection, because salmonella is killed at temperatures of 70 degrees Celsius and above.
Microorganisms are resistant to low temperatures, and they are also not afraid of changes. In addition, salmonella can live in water bodies for up to 13 years.
If you are not sure what kind of eggs you are using, it is better to boil them for at least 10 minutes and fry them on both sides.
Determining salmonellosis infection is not so easy, since the symptoms are similar to poisoning.
Main symptoms of the disease: 
Signs may appear within two to three hours after infection. The incubation period lasts up to 72 hours.
Body temperature rises to 40 degrees Celsius. Possible decrease in blood pressure and dehydration due to frequent trips to the toilet. In this case, green discharge is observed, sometimes with bloody clots.
This condition lasts from several days to a week, depending on the intensity of the poisoning and the susceptibility of the body.
At the first signs, you must immediately call a doctor, otherwise there is a risk of dehydration. If you do not provide the necessary help in time, recovery will be slower and more difficult. In addition, there is a risk of death.
Knowing the consequences of salmonellosis, it would not be superfluous to carry out prevention.
Based on information about the sources of infection, in order to avoid such an infectious disease, it is worth: 
Salmonellosis is transmitted through food or dirty hands. But you should be careful and attentive when traveling and traveling. There is a high risk of not protecting yourself from infection by eating food that is unusual for your body, or by not washing your hands in time.
The knowledge gained will help protect against infection. This can be avoided by following hygiene rules. Products of animal origin must undergo heat treatment before being eaten. Only in this case can you be sure that the food is safe.
Ecology of health: Recently, chicken protein has been considered one of the optimal products. It is definitely included in the diet of people who want to lose weight or simply get rid of unnecessary health problems. This dietary and cheap product is now very fashionable. But everyone has forgotten that chicken meat causes the spread of a serious infection - salmonellosis.
Recently, chicken protein has been considered one of the optimal products. It is definitely included in the diet of people who want to lose weight or simply get rid of unnecessary health problems. This dietary and cheap product is now very fashionable. But everyone has forgotten that chicken meat causes the spread of a serious infection - salmonellosis.
What is the causative agent of this infection? What is salmonellosis and how to fight it? How is the disease transmitted and why is it dangerous? What are the symptoms of the disease and its possible consequences? Are there any peculiarities in the course of salmonellosis in children? How does intoxication manifest itself in this disease and what can be done to reduce it?
The causative agent of salmonellosis
What is salmonella? This is a special type of bacteria that, when entering the human body, leads to inflammation of certain parts of the digestive system and severe intoxication.
They are motile gram-negative rods with flagella. The causative agent of salmonellosis (Salmonella) belongs to the family of intestinal enterobacteria, which is associated with the ability of this type of microorganisms to infect the intestines, although there are other forms of the disease.
Salmonella has certain characteristics.
1. They are resistant to many environmental factors: they can survive at a temperature of -82 ºC and remain on the surface for a long time in a dried form.
2. On surrounding objects at normal room temperature, bacteria can be viable for up to three months.
3. The causative agent of salmonellosis lives in animal feces for up to four years.
4. They are resistant to salting, smoking and freezing.
5. Salmonella lives in the meat of domestic and wild animals, poultry, milk, and bird eggs.The peculiarity of these bacteria is the ability to multiply in milk and ready-made meat dishes for a long time, while they do not change their appearance, that is, it is not visually possible to distinguish contaminated products from clean ones.
6. Where else does salmonella live? - in water, if it gets there with feces or through contaminated objects, they can remain for up to two months.
7. Salmonella can produce or produce exotoxins: enterotoxin and cytotoxin.
8. When the bacterium is destroyed, endotoxin is released into the body of an infected person, which leads to the development of severe intoxication.
9. To destroy bacteria in products, they have to be subjected to long-term heat treatment. At what temperature does salmonella die? - not less than 50 ºC. For example, to kill salmonella in a small piece of meat weighing about 500 mg, you will have to cook or stew it for 2.5 hours.
Salmonella detection history
Throughout the history of medicine, bacteriologists have repeatedly described diseases that resemble salmonellosis in their course. Pathogens have been periodically discovered in the meat of dead animals. At the end of the 19th century, American scientists D. E. Salmon and J. Smith isolated and described the causative agents of salmonellosis in animals, but called the disease swine fever. A few years later, the same bacteria were isolated from the intestines of deceased people.
Over the next 40 years, data on similar infections and the bacteria that caused them regularly surfaced in medicine. All this led to the identification of a separate type of intestinal infections, and their causative agents were named after the scientist who first described the Salmonella bacteria.
Causes of salmonellosis
Salmonellosis is an acute infectious disease caused by salmonella. What animals can be a source of infection?
Almost any animal can get sick and infect others:
horses, pigs, sheep;
cattle;
Even domestic animals, cats and dogs, suffer from salmonellosis;
wild animals are often a source of infection: foxes, wolves, arctic foxes, beavers, bears;
but the main place in the transmission of infection is occupied by poultry, especially waterfowl, salmonellosis can be in chicken eggs, in the meat of chicken, ducks and geese, even dry egg powder prepared from contaminated eggs may contain the pathogen;
wild birds - pigeons, gulls and sparrows - carry the infection;
cases of salmonellosis have been recorded among lizards, turtles, crabs and frogs;
The source of infection for salmonellosis can be a person (bacterium carrier) during the development of the disease.
That is, salmonellosis occurs everywhere, everywhere, but more often in the household.
The methods of infection with salmonellosis are also varied.. Sick animals may appear healthy and shed bacteria into the environment through feces, saliva and urine, mucus from sneezing, milk and eggs. After the death of an infected animal, the causative agent of salmonellosis remains in the meat.
Infection with salmonellosis is most often possible through the fecal-oral mechanism. The routes of transmission of infection are as follows.
1. One of the main routes of infection is nutritional through products, which include animal and poultry meat, as well as eggs and milk.
2. There are cases when products become infected during processing or preparation through contact with contaminated surfaces.
3. How else is salmonellosis transmitted? - through contact and household contact through unwashed hands, after communicating with infected people and pets in case of non-compliance with sanitary and hygienic standards.
4. One of the possible ways of spreading the infection is through water when swallowing water with bacteria.
5. How else can you get salmonellosis? - through dust, when its particles are inhaled, a pathogen can also enter the human body.
A person can get salmonellosis throughout the year., but, from the point of view of epidemiology, the most dangerous period is summer. In hot weather, food storage conditions are more often violated. In summer, both outbreaks of the disease and isolated or sporadic cases are recorded.
Pathogenesis of salmonellosis
Salmonellosis is an anthropozoonotic infection caused by Salmonella, leading place in the development of which animals are assigned. When bacteria enter the human body, they pass through the defense system of the upper digestive organs. Most often, the causative agent of salmonellosis invades and begins to multiply in the initial part of the small intestine. Here they are partially captured by blood cells called macrophages. This is the first active human defense system, but it is after its operation and the destruction of bacteria that more serious changes begin to occur - the release of endotoxin, which affects the nerves and vessels of the intestine, which is the cause of the development of severe intoxication of the body with salmonellosis.
Then the bacteria penetrate the lymphatic vessels and rush through them to the intestinal lymph nodes, which are a powerful immune defense of our body. Reducing protection, the causative agent of salmonellosis rushes into the circulatory system and spreads to all organs and systems, forming secondary foci of infection.
What is the danger of salmonellosis? It consists in the release of toxins, which additionally affect all organ systems. If you're lucky, the infection will go away quickly, and only the intestines will be involved in the inflammatory process. But if there are too many bacteria or a person’s immunity is sharply reduced, then salmonellosis ends with the development of complications.
Symptoms
How long is the incubation period for salmonellosis? - its average duration is from 12 to 24 hours. In rare cases, it is short and lasts about 6 hours, and sometimes the first signs of infection appear only after 2 days.
There are 3 main forms of salmonellosis.
1. Gastrointestinal with primary damage to the stomach or intestines.
2. A generalized variant of the development of the disease with the involvement of other organs and systems in the inflammatory process.
3. Bacterial excretion.
The manifestation of the disease depends on the form of infection. How does salmonellosis manifest in most cases? - the classic variant of the development of infection is the gastrointestinal form.
The symptoms of salmonellosis are as follows.
1. Gastritis due to the development of the disease is rare. Its manifestations include nausea, stomach pain and vomiting.
2. The first signs of salmonellosis with intestinal damage are the acute onset and early development of symptoms of intoxication.
3. Nausea and vomiting, both single and repeated.
4. Copious frequent loose stools. It looks foamy, brown, yellow or dark green in color.
5. Abdominal pain and bloating, constant rumbling.
6. How long does it take for salmonellosis to appear when all parts of the intestine are affected? - the incubation period is short, and the disease itself is severe and begins with a rise in temperature, frequent and liquid stools with small streaks of blood.
7. Often, manifestations of inflammation of the pancreas join the general classical symptoms and liver damage is involved in the inflammatory process.
8. With salmonellosis, the functioning of the cardiovascular system is disrupted - the pulse rate changes, blood pressure decreases, and the heart rhythm becomes abnormal.
9. In the absence of timely treatment or in especially severe cases, collapse develops when blood pressure drops sharply and blood circulation in vital organs decreases.
10. Salmonellosis during pregnancy is severe, with all the symptoms and in severe cases can result in miscarriage.
Mild, moderate and severe course is typical for any form of salmonellosis, while the symptoms of infection occur with varying frequency.
Bacterial excretion during the development of salmonellosis occurs acute and chronic. In the first case, salmonella can be released into the environment within three months after the first manifestations of the disease, in the second - a longer period.
Diagnosis of infection
It is easy to make a diagnosis during an outbreak, but isolated cases require special examinations.
1. How to get tested for salmonellosis? The basis of diagnosis is bacterial research methods, the material for which is blood, urine, stomach contents, vomit, and pus. Analysis is most effective in the early stages of disease development.
2. Serological methods of diagnosis include RA and RNGA, they can be performed a little later on the 7th or 8th day of the disease. RA is positive at a serum dilution of 1:200.
Complications of salmonellosis
How dangerous is salmonellosis? Not only by its course and damage to all organs and systems. In case of unsuccessful or untimely treatment, the infection is accompanied by serious complications.
1. The gastrointestinal or gastrointestinal form of salmonellosis sometimes ends in the development of collapse or hypovolemic shock (low blood pressure, pale skin, nausea, dizziness and loss of consciousness).
2. Complications of salmonellosis include acute heart failure.
3. During the development of the disease, numerous septic complications often develop - purulent inflammation of the joints, abscesses of the liver, spleen and kidneys.
4. Sometimes the heart is affected - endocarditis.
5. Inflammatory processes occur in the urinary system - cystitis, pyelonephritis.
6. The consequence of salmonellosis can be a brain abscess and inflammation of its membranes or meningitis.
7. Sometimes salmonellosis ends in the development of peritonitis, pneumonia or appendicitis.
More often, salmonellosis ends in complete recovery. Only in no more than 0.2–0.3% of cases is death possible.
Is it possible to get salmonellosis again?- yes, with any form of infection, relapses of the disease occur. The body does not permanently produce specific immune cells that protect a person from developing the disease in the future.
Treatment
How to treat salmonellosis? Considering the variety of clinical manifestations and the various options for the course of the disease itself, treatment should be carried out only under the supervision of specialists in a hospital. Although for mild forms of salmonellosis, home treatment is allowed.
Treatment is always selected individually.
1. In the first hours of the development of salmonellosis, all patients with damage to the abdomen and intestines are prescribed gastric lavage.
2. To stop diarrhea, calcium supplements are prescribed in therapeutic doses.
3. A proper diet plays an important role in the treatment of salmonellosis. In mild cases of the disease, this is the main method of helping patients. During the treatment of a severe infection, temporary dietary restrictions are indicated for many foods. High-calorie foods, milk, eggs, fresh vegetables, smoked foods, pickles, marinades, and sweets are excluded. Nutrition for salmonellosis in adults during treatment includes gentle processing of foods - only boiled, steamed and stewed dishes. The total calorie content of foods during the day should not exceed 2 thousand kcal. Food should be at room temperature, hot dishes are temporarily excluded.
4. If repeated vomiting and loose stools develop, dehydration therapy is prescribed - intravenous plasma-substituting solutions are used.
5. Regarding the prescription of antibiotics for salmonellosis, they are not effective for all forms of the disease. When bacteria are located intracellularly, antibacterial drugs have virtually no effect on the pathogen. Generalized variants of the disease require the prescription of antimicrobial agents. They are selected individually, taking into account the sensitivity of bacteria, which is determined during testing.
6. A significant role in treatment is played by the salmonellosis bacteriophage, which acts directly on bacteria, destroying them.
7. Anti-inflammatory drugs are prescribed as additional therapy. For symptomatic relief, multivitamins and potassium preparations are used to quickly restore the body after an infection.
In the case of bacterial excretion, salmonella in the human body are insensitive to many antibiotics. Then medications are selected individually with a long course of treatment.
Prevention
Prevention of salmonellosis includes a number of anti-epidemic measures and individual measures to protect against infection.
Measures to prevent salmonellosis include the following preventive measures.
1. Active work of veterinary and sanitary-hygienic services to identify the disease and carriage among domestic animals and people.
2. Food industry workers play a large role in the spread of infection, so they are examined annually for carrier status.
3. If a source of infection is identified, active work is carried out with contact persons, followed by their examination for carriage or mild asymptomatic course of the disease.
4. Prevention of salmonellosis consists of carrying out sanitary education among the population with an explanation of the rules for heat treatment of products.
5. Personal hygiene plays an important role in reducing the factors of infection transmission among people.
6. Preventive measures include active annual monitoring of bacterial excretors and timely treatment.
7. How to prevent salmonellosis at home? - This is a long-term heat treatment of meat products, eggs and dairy products.
Features of the course of salmonellosis in children
A special group of the population is children. Before one year of age, their immunity has not yet been formed to fully respond to the presence of bacteria; after a year, it is still developing, so at preschool and school age, children have a hard time surviving the infection.
How dangerous is salmonellosis at this time and how does it occur in children? What are the features of the course of the disease in childhood?
1. The cause of the development of salmonellosis in infants is often Salmonella typhimurium - this is a nosocomial infection that, under unfortunate circumstances, babies become infected with in the maternity hospital.
2. Children under one year of age are most susceptible to developing infection.
3. In children of high school age, as a rule, the disease progresses in the same way as in adults.
4. Children communicate more often with animals and birds, so the contact route of infection is of great importance. In addition, the dust transmission route is not the least important.
5. The incubation period of salmonellosis in children is in most cases shortened, no more than 12 hours.
6. For children, the seasonality of the disease is more typical - the summer-autumn period of development of infections.
7. Signs of salmonellosis in infants - general symptoms of intoxication predominate: weakness, lethargy, refusal to eat, the baby constantly spits up, he is sleepy, the child is more capricious, bowel movements are frequent up to 5-6 times a day, if no assistance is provided in the first days of development the condition may worsen sharply.
8. At this age, the gastroenterocolitic form of salmonellosis often develops, that is, occurring with gastric and intestinal symptoms.
9. Symptoms of salmonellosis in older children - severe weakness, adynamia, lack of appetite, constant nausea and repeated vomiting, green stools from 5 to 10 times a day, an increase in body temperature by at least 1.5 ºC, pain and rumbling in the abdomen.
10. A sharp increase in body temperature to 40 ºC and above indicates a generalized infection, when purulent foci have formed in various organs.
11. The consequences of salmonellosis in children, unlike adults, may be slightly different - in addition to all of the above, children often experience dysbiosis after an infection. Sometimes, after salmonellosis, chronic diseases of the digestive system develop, including those with limited production of enzymes for food processing - chronic pancreatitis. Allergenic children acquire another unpleasant factor - food allergies.
Treatment of salmonellosis in children
Therapy for this infectious disease in children begins in most cases with detoxification. This is one of the first stages of treatment for children. The fact is that with a fluid loss of up to 10%, the child may die. Therefore, the basis of treatment for salmonellosis in children is replacement of lost fluid. It is calculated by year and body weight.
Otherwise, the general principles of treatment are followed in the same way as in adults. Depending on the indications, antibacterial drugs are prescribed. Symptomatic therapy is carried out with antipyretic and restorative medications. In the treatment of salmonellosis in childhood, much attention is paid to the administration of drugs to restore intestinal microflora.
The diet for salmonellosis in children has its own characteristics:
there is no need to force children to eat, especially in the first days of the disease;
Hardly digestible foods, including milk and eggs, are temporarily excluded from the diet;
Due to a sudden loss of fluid, it is recommended that small children be given water, but it should be given in small portions, one spoon at a time is enough;
dietary restrictions are maintained for up to 5 days, then the diet is gradually expanded as needed.
Intoxication due to salmonellosis
The intoxication syndrome for salmonellosis is important. The severity of the disease and the general condition of the patient depend on the degree of its development.
The period of intoxication begins at the moment of destruction of the causative agents of salmonellosis. Bacteria are captured by blood cells and the body destroys them in an attempt to cope with the microorganism. An exotoxin is released into the intestines, which determines the further condition of the person.
Signs of salmonella poisoning are as follows.
1. With a mild degree of development of the disease, the symptoms of poisoning are moderate - general malaise, weakness and lack of appetite.
2. Moderate severity of infection is characterized by high temperature of at least 39 ºC, headaches and dizziness, nausea and vomiting, cramps in the limbs, aches throughout the body.
3. Symptoms of poisoning with severe salmonellosis include chills and high body temperature over 40 ºC, severe weakness, and adynamia.
4. At the time of the development of severe intoxication, the appearance of patients with salmonellosis is characteristic - they look exhausted, the skin is pale, dry, with a bluish tint, the voice is quiet, weak, numerous convulsions appear in the limbs and throughout the body, the amount of urine excreted sharply decreases until it is completely empty. disappearance.
5. When intoxication develops, during examination of a person, the doctor additionally notes an enlargement of the spleen and liver.
In case of salmonella poisoning or intoxication of the body due to an infectious disease, you should not try to help the person yourself. This condition is a direct indication for hospitalization.
Salmonellosis ranks first in the world among deaths from intestinal infectious diseases. And the number of new species of salmonella is increasing every year. It is impossible to eradicate the pathogen. What can you do to avoid getting sick? It is necessary to prepare food correctly, regularly observe basic hygiene rules and teach children how to handle even exotic species of animals. published
According to statistics, salmonellosis takes the leading place in the number of deaths caused by food poisoning.
The bacterium is especially dangerous for children, elderly people and people with weak immune systems. And it becomes more difficult to cure strong people every year - salmonella has lost sensitivity to a number of antibiotics. Therefore, you need to remember the dangers when you want to eat a chicken egg.
Salmonella is a resident of the intestinal tract of domestic birds - chickens, ducks, geese. But since geese and ducks are rarely eaten, infection occurs to a greater extent due to crested laying hens.
Among poultry, approximately a quarter of chickens and 70 percent of geese and ducks are infected with salmonella. The birds themselves do not get sick - they are carriers of the microbe.
Salmonella can be found in eggs and poultry meat. The top of the egg is covered with a porous calcareous shell. Due to the fact that the egg passes through the bird’s cloaca, it is contaminated with a huge number of microorganisms, including salmonella.
Eggs become infected not only from the outside, but also from the inside. Salmonella penetrates the shell and, getting into the protein, begins to actively multiply.
In summer, raw foods are always a danger. But eggs with salmonella can be dangerous not only in summer, but also in the harshest winter.
No matter how much you refrigerate the product, the bacteria will not die - it can live and multiply in the refrigerator for up to 12 months. By eating a raw product or preparing a protein-based cream for a cake, a person runs the risk of getting pathogenic salmonella.
Salmonella penetrates human cells so quickly that scientists propose using it in the fight against viruses - the microbe can become a kind of transport for delivering medicines to diseased organs.
Today, salmonella is the most dangerous bacterium from which you can die, and which is almost impossible to detect by any signs on the product - contaminated meat or eggs may not smell or change.
The main danger is that salmonella affects foods adjacent to harmful eggs and the walls of the refrigerator.
A person can become infected with salmonellosis in catering establishments where sanitary standards are not always observed and eggs are purchased cheaper from unscrupulous suppliers.
Eggs may be broken and not sanitized. All kinds of desserts, dishes, and baked goods are prepared from them, and people run the risk of contracting salmonella simply by eating a serving of ice cream on a hot day.
Those who like eggnog, fried eggs or creams should prefer quail eggs.
They are healthier than chicken eggs, containing three times more microelements and vitamins. Quail eggs are recommended for small children due to their hypoallergenicity.
The bacteria are killed by boiling and frying at temperatures above 70 degrees. At 100 degrees it dies within 3 minutes. Therefore, you should not take risks and enjoy eggs “in a bag”, or fried eggs.
For eggs, temperature treatment should be at least 10-15 minutes after the water boils. When cooking scrambled eggs, you should not try the unfried dish or lick the spatula.
The onset of salmonellosis is very similar in symptoms to the flu. High fever, aching bones, and headache appear. At the first signs of illness, you need to call a doctor, and then your timely diagnosed illness will not result in unpleasant complications.
What do we know about salmonellosis? Basically, it is a dangerous infectious disease that can be contracted by eating raw eggs, as well as poorly cooked or undercooked chicken. But quail eggs, according to some people, can be eaten raw, because salmonella does not live in them.
Getty Images
However, most such opinions are recognized by medical scientists as outright misconception. What are the most common myths about salmonella? Told about this Chief freelance infectious disease specialist in Kyiv Tatyana Egorova.
Myth one. The source of infection is eggs
The source of infection is chickens. Not in fresh eggs. However, particles of chicken droppings containing bacteria can end up on the shells. After some time (from 4 hours to 5 days), bacteria penetrate the shell into the egg and infect it. Therefore, before using, eggs should be washed thoroughly with soap and water.
Myth two. The source of infection is only poultry
This is a misconception. In addition to chickens, salmonellosis is carried by cattle, sheep, goats and even pigs. Also reservoirs of infection are rodents, wild birds (sparrows, pigeons, seagulls, bullfinches), oysters, snails, caterpillars, cockroaches, flies, bees, frogs, turtles, fish, snakes.
Myth three. Salmonella dies in the freezer
Very hardy. They can survive in water for 5-6 months, in meat and sausage - 3-4 months, in the freezer they can survive for about six months, and in frozen bird carcasses - even more than a year (very low temperatures, on the contrary, preserve salmonella, leaving them viable) .
Myth four. You can eat fried eggs without fear of infection
Indeed, as a result of heat treatment, the pathogen dies. But you can safely eat scrambled eggs only if you fry them on both sides. But fried eggs remain as dangerous as fresh eggs.
Myth fifth. Quail eggs do not contain salmonella
You can safely eat scrambled eggs only if you fry them on both sides
In reality, birds become infected due to poor feeding and improper care. In most cases, the main source of infection is feed, which includes processed animal raw materials (mainly cattle and small ruminants, pigs). Therefore, if such food is given to quails and if they are kept in a poultry house where the microclimate is disturbed (very hot), then salmonella may appear in quail eggs.
Myth six. After cutting raw meat, just wash the knife with cold water.
Thus (through kitchen utensils) it is very easy to become infected with salmonellosis. After all, raw meat may contain bacteria. Therefore, it will not be enough if you wash the knife and cutting board with cold water. To neutralize the pathogen, kitchen utensils must be doused with boiling water. But it is better to allocate a separate knife and a separate kitchen board for meat.
Mythseventh. You can cure salmonellosis on your own, just take antibiotics
Salmonellosis is a serious infectious disease that, if not treated correctly, can become chronic. Therefore, it is imperative to undergo a full course of inpatient treatment. In no case should you self-medicate or take antibiotics - most of the pathogens that cause are resistant to them. Therefore, as a result of improper treatment, a person can turn into a hidden carrier of infection and infect others. Therefore, if there are signs of illness, be sure to consult a doctor.
Symptoms of salmonellosis
Symptoms of salmonellosis are similar to those of most other acute intestinal infections. The incubation period averages 12-24 hours (but sometimes lasts up to 2-3 days).
The disease begins acutely: high temperature (up to 38-39 degrees), chills, general weakness, malaise, headache, cramping abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. In most cases, stools are liquid, watery, foamy, greenish in color, with a frequency of 5 to 10 times a day. On the 2-3rd day of illness, mucus and blood may be found in the stool. The disease lasts from 3 days to 2 weeks.
What do we know about salmonellosis? Basically, it is a dangerous infectious disease that can be contracted by eating raw eggs, as well as poorly cooked or undercooked chicken. But quail eggs, according to some people, can be eaten raw, because salmonella does not live in them.
Getty Images
However, most such opinions are recognized by medical scientists as outright misconception. What are the most common myths about salmonella? Told about this Chief freelance infectious disease specialist in Kyiv Tatyana Egorova.
Myth one. The source of infection is eggs
The source of infection is chickens. There is no salmonella in fresh eggs. However, particles of chicken droppings containing bacteria can end up on the shells. After some time (from 4 hours to 5 days), bacteria penetrate the shell into the egg and infect it. Therefore, before using, eggs should be washed thoroughly with soap and water.
Myth two. The source of infection is only poultry
This is a misconception. In addition to chickens, salmonellosis is carried by cattle, sheep, goats and even pigs. Also reservoirs of infection are rodents, wild birds (sparrows, pigeons, seagulls, bullfinches), oysters, snails, caterpillars, cockroaches, flies, bees, frogs, turtles, fish, snakes.
Myth three. Salmonella dies in the freezer
Salmonella bacteria are very hardy. They can survive in water for 5-6 months, in meat and sausage - 3-4 months, in the freezer they can survive for about six months, and in frozen bird carcasses - even more than a year (very low temperatures, on the contrary, preserve salmonella, leaving them viable) .
Myth four. You can eat fried eggs without fear of infection
Indeed, as a result of heat treatment, the pathogen dies. But you can safely eat scrambled eggs only if you fry them on both sides. But fried eggs remain as dangerous as fresh eggs.
Myth fifth. Quail eggs do not contain salmonella
You can safely eat scrambled eggs only if you fry them on both sides
In reality, birds become infected due to poor feeding and improper care. In most cases, the main source of infection is feed, which includes processed animal raw materials (mainly cattle and small ruminants, pigs). Therefore, if such food is given to quails and if they are kept in a poultry house where the microclimate is disturbed (very hot), then salmonella may appear in quail eggs.
Myth six. After cutting raw meat, just wash the knife with cold water.
Thus (through kitchen utensils) it is very easy to become infected with salmonellosis. After all, raw meat may contain bacteria. Therefore, it will not be enough if you wash the knife and cutting board with cold water. To neutralize the pathogen, kitchen utensils must be doused with boiling water. But it is better to allocate a separate knife and a separate kitchen board for meat.
Mythseventh. You can cure salmonellosis on your own, just take antibiotics
Salmonellosis is a serious infectious disease that, if not treated correctly, can become chronic. Therefore, it is imperative to undergo a full course of inpatient treatment. Under no circumstances should you self-medicate or take antibiotics - most pathogens that cause intestinal infections are resistant to them. Therefore, as a result of improper treatment, a person can turn into a hidden carrier of infection and infect others. Therefore, if there are signs of illness, be sure to consult a doctor.
Symptoms of salmonellosis
Symptoms of salmonellosis are similar to those of most other acute intestinal infections. The incubation period averages 12-24 hours (but sometimes lasts up to 2-3 days).
The disease begins acutely: high temperature (up to 38-39 degrees), chills, general weakness, malaise, headache, cramping abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. In most cases, stools are liquid, watery, foamy, greenish in color, with a frequency of 5 to 10 times a day. On the 2-3rd day of illness, mucus and blood may be found in the stool. The disease lasts from 3 days to 2 weeks.
