Salmonellosis
Acute infectious intestinal disease caused by bacteria of the genus Salmonella. The incubation period of salmonellosis is from half to one day. Then suddenly symptoms of salmonellosis appear: fever rises, general weakness and headache are felt, abdominal pain begins, especially in the pit of the stomach and right side. The patient starts vomiting and having profuse watery diarrhea. Sometimes more pronounced nausea and vomiting (gastric and enteric form of salmonellosis), in other cases the main symptom is diarrhea with “rice water” stools (intestinal form of the disease). Due to frequent diarrhea or vomiting, a lot of fluids can be lost, along with salts and minerals. If more fluids are lost than consumed, dehydration occurs. Its symptoms include thirst, dry skin, tongue, mouth, scanty and dark urine, general weakness. Dehydration is very dangerous for older people and infants. Another form of infection, with symptoms such as severe abdominal pain, spasms, urgency, painful defecation with bloody stools (enterocolitis, gastroenterocolitis form). When the infection spreads, a rare, septic form of salmonellosis begins. Its course is rapid, high fever, chills, skin rash, jaundice, joint pain, difficulty breathing occur. Rarely, but chronic asymptomatic carriage of Salmonella is possible.
The diagnosis of salmonellosis is based on the patient’s medical history. Blood tests are performed, the diagnosis is confirmed by culturing salmonella from stool or vomit samples (sometimes blood). Usually salmonellosis resolves on its own within 4-7 days.
Salmonellosis is a zoonosis. The source of infection is domestic animals (pigs, cows, cats, dogs, birds – mostly S. enteritidis), wild animals, rodents (mice, rats – S. typhimurium), fish, waterfowl (ducks, geese). Salmonella is found in their intestines. An infected person is most dangerous to children (especially younger ones). Those who shed microbes (bacterial carriers) are particularly dangerous: meat industry workers, food service workers. Infection can be transmitted from personnel or children (through dirty hands). The source of infection for a newborn can be the mother.
Source | Glossary of Most Commonly Used Biomedical Terms and Concepts | Lithuanian University of Health Sciences | Academician Professor Antanas Praškevičius, Professor Laima Ivanovienė