How can salmonella be treated

However, all foods, including some unwashed fruits and vegetables can become contaminated. Salmonella typhi is the one type of salmonella that lives only in humans.

It is passed only from human to human through contaminated food or water. It tends to cause a serious and life-threatening infection called typhoid fever. Treatment often needs antibiotics.

A small number of people who are treated may feel better after treatment, but will continue to carry the organism and pass it through their feces to others through contaminated food or water. The following are the most common symptoms of salmonella. However, each person may experience symptoms differently. Symptoms develop 12 to 72 hours after infection and may include:. The symptoms of salmonella infections may look like other conditions or medical problems.

Always talk with your healthcare provider for a diagnosis. Since many different illnesses have symptoms similar to salmonella, diagnosis depends on lab tests that identify salmonella in your stool.

These infections generally run their course in 4 to 7 days. Often no treatment is needed. However, if you have severe diarrhea, you may need rehydration with intravenous IV fluids. If the infection spreads from the intestines to the blood stream, prompt treatment with antibiotics will be necessary. Most people recover completely from a salmonella infection. This causes joint pain, eye irritation, and painful urination. Since foods of animal origin pose the greatest threat of salmonella contamination, do not eat raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, seafood, or meats.

Remember that some sauces and desserts use raw eggs in their preparation, so be cautious of these, particularly in foreign countries. Also, follow these recommendations by the CDC:.

If your symptoms get worse or you get new symptoms, let your healthcare provider know. If your diarrhea continues more than a few days or gets worse, you may get dehydrated and need IV fluids. Sports drinks, decaffeinated tea, and broth are ideal. If you have nausea or vomiting, sucking on ice chips or sipping water or ginger ale can help. Eat bland foods like bananas, oatmeal, egg whites, and saltines, and avoid caffeine and alcohol both of which promote urination and are irritating to the stomach.

Most cases resolve on their own with rest and hydration. However, severe cases can lead to potentially life-threatening complications including shock and septicemia if left untreated. Call or seek emergency care if you have symptoms of severe salmonella poisoning, including:. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Diagnosis and Treatment. Mayo Clinic. Salmonella infection. Probiotic bacteria reduce salmonella typhimurium intestinal colonization by competing for iron. Cell Host Microbe. Diagnosis and management of foodborne illnesses. Am Fam Physician. Pfizer Pharmaceuticals.

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Poultry chickens, turkeys, etc are especially likely to carry salmonella. So, salmonella can contaminate meat including poultry , eggs, milk and other dairy products that we may eat. Infection usually causes relatively mild symptoms but complications, including lack of fluid in the body dehydration , can occur in some cases. The usual treatment is to drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.

Antibiotic medicines are occasionally needed in some people who are at extra risk of having complications. The Foods Standards Agency in the UK has identified the '4 Cs' to help prevent food poisoning, including food poisoning caused by salmonella. Salmonella are germs bacteria that are a common cause of food poisoning. Food poisoning occurs when food or water contaminated with germs microbes , poisons toxins or chemicals is eaten or drunk. Typically, food poisoning causes gastroenteritis, an infection of the gut intestines.

Infectious diseases of the gut lead to diarrhoea and sometimes also to being sick vomiting. One type of salmonella, Salmonella typhi S. This is a serious disease which can be life-threatening if not treated quickly with antibiotic medicines.

It causes diarrhoea at first and then high temperature fever , headache, stomach cramps, skin rash, feeling sick nausea and loss of appetite. Another type of salmonella, Salmonella paratyphi S. This is a similar illness to typhoid fever but symptoms are generally milder. Typhoid and paratyphoid are almost exclusively caught abroad in countries with poor sanitation. It can be passed on in the stools faeces and in the urine of infected people. Infection with S. Infection with various other strains is quite common.

The rest of this leaflet is only about food poisoning caused by strains of salmonella other than S. See the separate leaflet called Typhoid and Paratyphoid Fever for more information about these other infections. Salmonella germs bacteria may be found in the gut of many animals, including wild animals, farm animals and pets. So, salmonella can contaminate meat including poultry , raw eggs from chickens which have not been vaccinated, milk and other dairy products that we may eat.

Adequate cooking of meat including poultry usually kills salmonella bacteria. Humans can become infected if they eat undercooked meat that is contaminated with salmonella. Eating raw or undercooked eggs, or consuming milk or other dairy products contaminated with salmonella, can also pass on salmonella infection to humans. Sometimes, other foods such as fruit and vegetables can become contaminated with salmonella through contact with manure used to help them grow. Shellfish may also become contaminated if they are in contact with infected sewage in the water.

Dogs, cats and rodents can sometimes become infected with salmonella. Tortoises and terrapins are also common salmonella carriers. Contact with infected animals or their stools faeces can also allow transmission of infection to humans. The bacteria can pass from your hands into your mouth and then your gut intestines where they can then multiply and cause symptoms. Once you have salmonella, you may also spread the infection to your close contacts if you do not follow strict hygiene measures to prevent the spread of infection to others see below.

Salmonella food poisoning is quite common. In England and Wales in , there were 8, confirmed cases compared with 8, in As many people with food poisoning are not tested, there are probably many more cases than were confirmed. In the UK, numbers of cases of salmonella have gradually dropped over the past years. It is thought this is due to the policy of vaccinating hens against salmonella. The eggs from vaccinated hens are safe to eat. This is demonstrated by the red Lion stamp you may see on UK eggs.

Salmonella can affect anyone of any age. In most cases it does not cause severe symptoms. However, there are certain groups of people who are more likely to develop severe symptoms.

They include:. Because it is possible for salmonella to be spread from person to person, outbreaks can occur, particularly in institutions such as elderly care or nursing homes. The typical symptoms are diarrhoea and stomach cramps. The diarrhoea can sometimes be bloody. You may also feel sick have nausea and be sick vomit and you can develop a high temperature fever.

Symptoms tend to come on within hours of eating the contaminated food or being in contact with the infected animal. This time period before symptoms appear is known as the 'incubation period'. In most people, symptoms are relatively mild and improve within days without any specific treatment.

If symptoms are severe, a lack of fluid in the body dehydration can occur. You should consult a doctor quickly if you suspect that you or your child are becoming dehydrated.

Mild dehydration is common and is usually easily reversed by drinking lots of fluids. Severe dehydration can be fatal unless quickly treated because the organs of your body need a certain amount of fluid to function. For more information about dehydration symptoms in children and adults see our separate leaflet called Dehydration. Many people will recognise food poisoning from their typical symptoms and, if these symptoms are mild, they do not usually need to seek medical advice or receive specific medical treatment.

So, you may have salmonella infection that is not 'confirmed'.