Salmonella are bacteria that typically infect the intestinal tract. Less commonly, the infection can occur in the blood, bone, and joints. When a person gets sick from this infection, it is called salmonellosis. There are many different kinds of Salmonella bacteria. Some people carry these bacteria in the intestinal tract for a long time without any illness, known as an asymptomatic carrier state.
Salmonella are a common cause of diarrhea in BC and around the world. Children four years old and younger tend to have the highest infection rates in BC.
Salmonella may cause:
- stomach cramps
- diarrhea
- fever
- nausea
- vomiting
- dehydration can occur, especially in infants.
Symptoms start an average of 6 hours to 7 days after exposure to the bacteria. Symptoms last 4 to 7 days and most people recover without treatment. Sometimes a person can be infected and have no symptoms or can carry Salmonella for a long period of time.
Salmonella are spread by the fecal-oral route. This means tiny amounts of fecal (poop) material from humans or animals can enter the mouth and cause illness.
You can become infected with Salmonella through:
- Eating or drinking contaminated food or drink,
- Contact with feces from humans, such as caring for infants with diarrhea without proper hand washing,
- Contact with feces from domestic or wild animals, including pets and farm animals, without proper hand washing,
- Handling contaminated pet food, especially raw pet food or pet treats, without proper handwashing.
Salmonella live in the intestines of many animals, including:
- Farm animals (chickens, cows, pigs, sheep, chicks, ducklings)
- Pets (dogs, cats, rodents)
- Reptiles and amphibians (turtles, tortoises, snakes, iguanas)
Pets may have fecal matter on their hair, fur, feathers or skin that is transferred to our hands when we touch them. Some animals used as feed for other animals (e.g., rodents fed to reptiles) can also infect humans. When animals are slaughtered for food, bacteria from an animal's intestines may contaminate the meat.
Common sources of infection include:
- undercooked poultry and other meats
- undercooked eggs and egg products
- unpasteurized milk
- other contaminated food and water.
During food preparation, bacteria can be spread from contaminated foods to other foods or surfaces in the kitchen. This is called cross-contamination. It is especially concerning if foods that are eaten uncooked, such as fresh fruits or vegetables, are cross-contaminated. An example of this would be cutting raw poultry or meat on a cutting board and then cutting vegetables on the same board without washing and sanitizing the board in between.
Drinking water can be contaminated when humans, and wild or domestic animals leave their droppings in or near surface water sources such as springs, streams, rivers, lakes, ponds or shallow wells.
Occasionally, Salmonella may cause infections or inflammation in other parts of the body. For example, some cases may experience a more serious infection in the bloodstream, bones, joint, or development of pus (abscess). A small percentage of cases may experience a temporary joint inflammation (reactive arthritis) after having salmonellosis.
Your healthcare provider may diagnose salmonellosis through laboratory testing, usually a stool sample.
Most people recover without treatment.
Your healthcare provider will help you decide if treatment is needed. People with salmonellosis are usually advised to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration from diarrhea.
When the infection is in the blood, it can be serious, requiring hospitalization and treatment with antibiotics.
Contaminated foods look, smell and taste normal. Treat all raw poultry and meat, including raw pet food, as if it is contaminated and handle it safely.
Store food safely
- Refrigerate foods promptly
- Keep raw poultry and meats well wrapped
- Store raw meats on lower refrigerator shelves so blood/juices do not drip on to other foods.
Thaw food safely
- Thaw poultry and meat in the refrigerator, microwave, or under cold running water.
- Do not thaw at room temperature.
Prepare food safely
- Do not eat raw or undercooked poultry or meat.
- Use a meat thermometer and check the internal temperature in the thickest part:
- Poultry: at least 74°C (165°F)
- Other meats: at least 71°C (160°F)
- Do not eat raw unpasteurized eggs or uncooked foods containing raw unpasteurized eggs.
- Do not drink unpasteurized milk, and if you are prone to more serious illness, do not drink unpasteurized juices.
Prevent cross-contamination
- Keep raw meat away from uncooked foods.
- Use separate plates and utensils for raw and cooked poultry and meat.
- Use a separate cutting board for raw meat.
- If only one board is available, cut all other ingredients before cutting raw meats.
Clean and sanitize surfaces
1) Wash items (cutting boards, utensils, counters, sinks, taps) with warm, soapy water.
2) Rinse with warm water.
3) Sanitize with a mild bleach solution:
- Mix one teaspoon of bleach per litre of water.
- Soak items in the solution or spray solution onto surfaces for at least two minutes to kill any bacteria.
- Follow any
Boil Water Notices for your community.
- Do not drink untreated surface water from a spring, stream, river, lake, pond or shallow well. Assume it is contaminated with animal feces.
- Boil or disinfect water from these sources that is used for:
- drinking
- making ice cubes
- washing uncooked fruits and vegetables
- making baby formula
- brushing teeth
- washing dentures and
- any other consumption without adequate heat treatment
- Boil water for at least 1 minute at a rolling boil.
- At elevations above 2000 m (6562 ft), boil for at least 2 minutes.
- OR Disinfect using 1 drop of bleach per litre of water. Shake and allow to stand for 30 minutes before drinking.
- Wash hands after touching animals, especially before eating.
- Make sure children, particularly those who handle pets, wash their hands often if they suck their thumbs or put their hands in their mouths. Young children or those who have compromised immune systems should avoid handling chicks, ducklings or reptile pets.
- If you are considering raising poultry in your backyard, talk to your local government about bylaws and check out the
CDC website for information on backyard poultry for precautions to follow.
- If a trip to a petting zoo or farm is planned, read
Petting Zoos and Open Farm Visits for important information.
Pet food
- Avoid feeding pets raw food (meat or commercial raw pet food), raw meat pet treats or unpasteurized milk.
- If you choose to feed these products to your pet:
- Follow the safe food handling measures described above.
- Wash and disinfect all surfaces and pet bowls that have been in contact with raw food.
- Refrigerate leftovers immediately or throw them away.
- Wash your hands after touching raw food or raw meat pet treats.
Salmonella is passed in the feces, so people with diarrhea should not go to work or school.
If you are a food handler, health care worker or work in or attend a day care, it is possible for you to spread Salmonella to others in these settings. Do not work while you have diarrhea or are vomiting and do not return to work or day care until at least 48 hours after your last loose stool or episode of vomiting, or until advised by public health. Children in day care who have diarrhea or vomiting can be cared for temporarily in an area separate from other children until picked up by their parents. To ensure proper hand washing, children in day cares should be supervised by an adult when washing their hands.
