Salmonella has become a common part of the U.S social culture due to all the recent
outbreaks we may hear or even may experience. Not only has it have a detrimental
impact in the U.S., but reported cases of salmonellosis has been increasing
worldwide.
It is important to understand the distinction made between typhi and non-typhi
salmenossis. Typhi and Paratyphi are responsible for the most serious diseases such as
typhoid and paratyphoid fever. Characterizations of this specific disease are fever,
headache, constipation with a fatality rate of 10-20% before antibiotics
were widely available. Since then the case-fatality rate has dropped below 1%.
Due to the multiple serotypes of the salmonella strain, the infectious dose
varies with the serotype and host resistance. The process for infection occurs very
rapidly. Once the bacilli colonizes on the intestine, within minutes it will invade the
mucosa where they can multiply at an exponential rate.
Symptoms of infections include fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal
cramps. Physicians have been able to recognize several pathological conditions
resulting from salmonellosis. These conditions
include postinfectious irritable bowel syndrome which sometimes leads to abdominal
abscesses. An autoimmune disease called Reiter’s Syndrome, a condition which
results when the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues. Symptoms include
arthritis, urinary tract problems, and eye irritation.
