Salmonella Research Paper

Words: 1133
Pages: 5

Typically, the most common system affected by salmonella infection tends to be the gastrointestinal tract (an organ system responsible for transporting and digesting food, absorbing nutrients and expelling waste). When the bacterium affects this part of the body, patients usually experience bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. The diarrhea can lead to dehydration. Salmonella enterica also affects the bloodstream. Salmonella bacteremia is when the bacterium has spread into the bloodstream. Once this happens, salmonella can affect several organs in the body. This is known as typhoid or enteric fever. From the blood, salmonella can cause several infections. In patients with sickle cell disease, salmonella can cause osteomyelitis (a bone infection). This bone infection usually comes with pain, especially when moving, and fever. Although this usually affects the longer bones, in sickle cell patients salmonella can cause infection in any bone, including the vertebra and pelvis. In rare cases, salmonella can cause meningitis, which is an infection of the tissues surrounding the brain and central nervous system.

2. What are the symptoms
…show more content…
Other foods that transmit salmonella are contaminated foods, often having no unusual smell or look about them. Poor kitchen hygiene can lead to outbreak, which is a big problem in institutional kitchens and restaurants. Transmission of salmonella also occurs from excretions from sick or infected people and animals, polluted surface water and standing water (e.g. shower hoses or unused water dispensers), unhygienically thawed meat. Amphibians such as frogs might also carry the disease. Salmonella bacteria can survive for a long time without a host, which is why they are frequently found in polluted water. Contamination from the excretion of carrier animals (animals that are infected with salmonella) is particularly