How salmonellosis is transmitted in adults and children - signs, methods of treatment. How to avoid salmonellosis: prevention and causes of infection What needs to be done in order not to get sick with salmonellosis

The cause of the disease- salmonella, which cause disease not only in humans, but also in animals and birds. 5 to 50% all domestic animals, birds (chickens, ducks, geese) can excrete salmonella for months without any external signs of the disease. A particular danger in the transmission of the pathogen is chicken eggs infected before demolition, as well as products prepared from them (mayonnaise, dry egg powder and other products).

Salmonella persists for a long time in the environment: in water - up to 4 months, in meat and sausages - from 2 to 4 months, in cheeses - up to 1 year, in soil - up to 18 months. In some products (eggs, milk, meat products), they are able not only to be preserved, but also to multiply without changing the appearance and taste of the products. Salting and smoking have very little effect on them.

Sources of infection Salmonellosis can be animals, most often cattle, pigs, birds, domestic animals (cats, dogs) and people sick with salmonellosis or healthy bacteria carriers.

Most significant route of infection salmonellosis - food: infection occurs when eating food contaminated with salmonella in the process of their manufacture, processing, transportation, in violation of the rules or terms of storage of food, when selling dishes that have not undergone sufficient culinary or thermal processing.

Salmonellosis can be contracted and contact - household by: through dirty hands, care items, toys, dirty nipples or in violation of basic rules of personal hygiene.

The first signs of the disease Salmonellosis is a slight indisposition, a slight disorder of the stool. Later, there is a high temperature (up to 39-40 ° C), repeated vomiting and loose stools, abdominal pain, headaches, up to loss of consciousness and seizures. The disease is especially dangerous for young children.

At the first signs of illness, you should immediately seek medical help. Self-medication of salmonellosis with antibiotics at home is unacceptable!

How not to get sick with salmonellosis: only strict adherence to sanitary and hygienic rules for food preparation, adherence to the rules of personal hygiene can protect against infection with acute intestinal infections, including salmonellosis.

The main preventive measures:

After using the toilet and before eating, be sure to wash your hands with soap and water.

Do not eat semi-raw foods. If the meat or chicken is undercooked or undercooked - do not be lazy, continue cooking them.

Store ready-made foods and meals (especially salads, products with minced meat or cream, dishes with mayonnaise) only in the refrigerator; store raw foods and ready-to-eat meals separately and in their packaging.

Be sure to cut raw and prepared foods on different boards and different knives.

Look carefully at the shelf life and storage conditions of products in retail outlets.

Do not buy products where the seller weighs chickens and sausages (i.e. raw and finished products) on the same scales.

Wash your chicken eggs as soon as they arrive from the store, and only then put them in the refrigerator for storage. Salmonella is often added to food again: it remains on a hand towel, a cooking spatula, or on a knife used to break eggs.

Do not feed small children with scrambled eggs, raw eggs, do not give them products that are not sure of the quality: for children from birth to 2 years of age, the disease is very dangerous and is usually quite difficult.

Do not forget about basic rules of personal hygiene.

Take care of the health of your loved ones and be healthy yourself!

Abdominal pain, fever, loose stools, vomiting, headaches - these symptoms can be signs of salmonellosis. What is this disease? How can you get it and what is the prevention of "dirty hands disease"?

Salmonellosis and its causes

Salmonellosis is an acute intestinal infection in which the digestive system is affected, intoxication and dehydration of the body occurs. The causative agent is the bacterial bacillus Salmonella, which is a tiny formation up to 3 microns (or 0.0003 cm) long. It is very mobile, does not form capsules and spores.

Salmonella is very resistant to environmental conditions, even to smoking and salting. However, they are afraid of boiling.

Salmonella is a tiny stick with flagella

Bacteria can persist in the environment for a very long time:

  • up to 5 months - in water;
  • up to six months - in meat;
  • up to a year - in poultry meat, hard cheeses;
  • up to 3 weeks - in milk;
  • up to 30 days - in kefir;
  • up to 4 months - in butter;
  • from 3 to 9 months - in dry egg powder;
  • about 3 weeks - on eggshell;
  • up to one and a half years - in the soil.

Ultraviolet radiation kills Salmonella with 99.9% efficiency. Therefore, buying a UV lamp (made of quartz) will be a useful purchase for your home.

Salmonella is a very insidious bacteria:

  1. With long-term storage (longer than 30 days) of chicken eggs in the refrigerator, the bacterium is able to penetrate through the whole shell into the egg and actively multiply inside the yolk.
  2. Salmonella live well and reproduce in meat and dairy products, without affecting the appearance and taste of the product.
  3. Freezing contaminated food does not in any way affect the survival and vital functions of bacteria.
  4. There are known strains of Salmonella that are multiply resistant to antibacterial drugs and various disinfectants.

Once in the human body, pathogens begin to multiply actively, which causes intoxication (poisoning) and damage to internal organs. The patient develops severe diarrhea (loose stools) and dehydration. The infection can proceed in several forms - gastrointestinal (gastrointestinal), typhoid and septic.

Carriers of the disease are agricultural, wild and domestic animals and birds, as well as rodents. It is difficult to determine by its appearance whether an animal is sick or not, it may simply be a carrier of the infection.

Salmonellosis is an acute infectious disease caused by bacteria of the genus Salmonella

How can you catch salmonellosis?

The transmission mechanism of salmonellosis is fecal-oral. That is, bacteria are excreted in a sick person or animal with feces, and enter the body through the mouth.

Foodborne transmission of infection to humans

This route is the main mode of transmission of infection. Infection most often occurs while eating. If the rules of heat treatment were not followed when cooking meat, fish, poultry, eggs, then the risk of disease increases significantly.

Important! The danger of salmonella is that their presence in eggs does not in any way affect the taste and appearance. It is impossible to recognize an infected product either by the color of the protein and yolk, or by the smell.

What foods can become a source of infection - gallery

Eggs
A fish
Poultry
Butter
Milk
Meat

Waterway transmission

This path mainly takes place in poultry and livestock farms. However, there are cases of human infection with salmonellosis when drinking raw water.

Contact with sick animals

Another way of transmission of the disease is contact with sick animals, as well as animal carriers. A person becomes infected while caring for them, while working at meat processing plants, eating infected (during life or after slaughter) meat or dairy products.

Birds are active carriers of Salmonella. A person can become infected by eating contaminated meat, eggs, or food contaminated with the droppings of sick poultry.

Salmonellosis can be caused by bacteria that live in the organisms of animals, birds

Contact and household route of infection

You can also get infected from a sick person (or carrier). This transmission route takes place in organized groups, kindergartens, hospitals.

The greatest danger for a patient with salmonellosis is for small children under the age of one year, who are very susceptible to this infection.

Infection by contact-household means occurs through:

  • household items;
  • pots;
  • linen;
  • towels;
  • toys;
  • unwashed hands of a sick person, including medical staff or family members;
  • medical instruments and equipment (probes, catheters) not processed according to all sterilization rules.

The infectious period in animals lasts for months, and in humans it can last from several days to three weeks.

Immunity to the transferred disease lasts for 5-6 months. After this time, a relapse (re-infection) may occur, but a lighter course is noted compared to the previous case.

After recovery, the person who has recovered continues to release bacteria. This is the so-called bacterial excretion, which can be:

  • acute (up to 3 months);
  • chronic (more than 3 months);
  • transient (one or two detection of bacteria in the analysis of feces and urine and subsequent negative bacteriological tests).

The following groups of people are most susceptible to salmonellosis:

  • Small children;
  • elderly people;
  • people who have reduced immunity for various reasons;
  • workers in poultry and livestock farms;
  • fond of raw food;
  • not observing the rules of thermal processing of products and personal hygiene.

Airborne dust and airborne droplets of infection

The air-dust path of spread is possible in urban conditions, while the main factor is the pollution of streets and public places with droppings of birds that are sick or are carriers of salmonellosis.

Since the pathogen is excreted in a sick person with feces, salmonellosis is not transmitted by airborne droplets!

Salmonellosis infection pattern: sources, mechanism and transmission factors

How to avoid infection

Preventive measures at the state level are carried out by veterinary and sanitary-epidemiological services. They exercise control over:

  • meat processing industry (slaughtering and processing of raw materials);
  • catering enterprises (technology of preparation, storage and sale of finished products);
  • organization of meals in kindergartens and schools.

    In addition, the sanitary services control the process of examining newly admitted employees to catering, trade and children's institutions, as well as regular examinations of workers in catering units.

For individual prevention, you should know and follow several rules.

The main rule for the prevention of salmonellosis: wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water

Doctors reasonably call all intestinal infections "diseases of dirty hands", so the very first rule of preventing salmonellosis: wash your hands thoroughly after using the restroom and before eating. Since Salmonella enters the body with food, the following must be remembered:


There is no specific prophylaxis for salmonellosis in humans.

Important! If you keep cows, chickens, pigs in your area, it is recommended to regularly immunize animals, for example, with the Suigard or Immunobaccine vaccine.

Features of the prevention of the disease in children and pregnant women

Prevention of the disease in children should be monitored especially carefully, because babies are more susceptible to salmonellosis pathogens:

  1. All family members must practice good personal hygiene.
  2. Do not allow adults to use baby towels, feed a baby with unwashed hands, etc.
  3. Mom needs to be very careful when preparing baby food and strictly follow all the rules for sanitizing food products.
  4. When cleaning, special attention should be paid to places where bacteria are most likely to accumulate: doorknobs, switches, water taps, children's furniture.
  5. It is recommended to wash children's toys as often as possible, preferably with a soda solution.

Babies are more likely than adults to become infected by contact. Therefore, children need to be taught to behave correctly with animals: not to allow games with stray cats and dogs, not to allow them to lick the child's face, not to allow feeding the birds from their hands.

Good food hygiene can help prevent salmonellosis in children and adults

Pregnancy is an important period for every woman, at this time you need to take special responsibility for your health. Salmonellosis for the expectant mother and for the baby is dangerous for its complications. Therefore, a pregnant woman must necessarily follow the rules of personal hygiene, as well as follow general recommendations for the prevention of the disease.

Salmonella and salmonellosis - video

It should be remembered that the disease is easier to prevent than to cure. Salmonellosis is a serious disease that is dangerous for its complications, therefore, preventive measures must be taken with full responsibility. Take care of yourself and your loved ones!

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Anyone who eats chicken eggs is at risk of contracting salmonellosis. The symptoms of the disease are extremely unpleasant: diarrhea, vomiting, high fever. In order to avoid getting this infection, you just need to follow a few simple tips.

We are in site We care about our health and the health of our readers, so we have collected several rules that will help you avoid getting sick.

Pasteurize eggs

If you plan to prepare meals using raw protein or yolk, such as eggnog, mayonnaise, or tiramisu, be sure to pasteurize the eggs. Salmonella is most often found in the shell, therefore, to avoid the risk of disease, it must be disinfected. You can pasteurize eggs at home. To do this, hold the eggs in water heated to 60 degrees for 3-5 minutes. Note that hotter water will not work as the protein begins to curl at 63 degrees. When pasteurizing, it is important to ensure that there are no even small cracks on the shell.

Store eggs in the refrigerator

Salmonella bacteria do not die at low temperatures, but they do not multiply either. At 4 degrees, the growth of harmful bacteria stops completely, so the best way to avoid contamination is to pasteurize the eggs after purchase and then immediately place them in the refrigerator.

Throw away cracked and dirty eggs

As mentioned above, salmonella bacteria are most often found in the shell rather than in the egg itself. But if the shell is damaged, bacteria can easily get inside. Therefore, if you, having come home with shopping, found cracked among the eggs, then it is better to throw them away. The same applies to dirty eggs: the shells are processed before they are sent to the counter. And if a very dirty one hid among clean eggs, it is likely that it was missed during sanitization, so it is better not to eat it.

Salmonellosis is an acute infectious intestinal disease caused by various types of bacteria of the genus Salmonella. Salmonella affects the gastrointestinal tract, sometimes it can occur with typhoid-like symptoms, less often in the form of generalized septic forms.

Medicine knows about 2 thousand serovars (varieties) of Salmonella, however, in our country, only 500 species provoke intestinal diseases in humans. The causative agents of salmonellosis are extremely resistant to low temperatures, as well as other manifestations of the external environment.

In animal feces, these bacteria can persist for three years, in water bodies for up to four months, in dairy products for up to 20 days. Many strains of Salmonella are resistant to antibiotics, but are easily killed by chlorine-containing disinfectant solutions.

Ways of transmission of salmonellosis

Infection is especially dangerous for children under one year old, since this can lead to severe generalized forms of salmonellosis, the treatment of which in babies presents serious difficulties. As the child grows, his susceptibility to salmonella decreases. Any intestinal infections have seasonal fluctuations, so epidemiological outbreaks are most often observed in the hot, warm season.

Salmonellosis symptoms depending on the severity of the infection

The incubation period for salmonellosis is on average 6-48 hours. The clinical signs of salmonellosis depend on the form of the disease, which are classified as follows:

  • Gastrointestinal form- the most common, which begins brightly, acutely, with symptoms of intoxication, such as weakness, dizziness, headache, fever up to 38-39 C, chills. Signs of gastrointestinal tract disruption are rapidly growing - first, pains appear in the stomach, near the navel, then vomiting appears with undigested food debris, and then becomes watery, with an admixture of bile, after which diarrhea occurs with foamy, watery, greenish feces with mucus. The patient's tongue becomes dry with a white coating, the stomach is painful when pressed, slightly swollen and rumbling is observed, while the patient's liver and spleen are enlarged. Diarrhea usually ends on day 4-5, which can lead to metabolic disorders, loss of mineral salts, seizures, low blood pressure, tachycardia, as well as to disorders of the nervous system, this is fainting, dizziness. Usually, in adults, vivid symptoms of salmonellosis end by day 5, but the final recovery and normalization of the gastrointestinal tract is delayed by 10-14 days.
    • Mild form - Sometimes this form of the disease passes quite easily, without high fever, with a single vomiting and liquefied stool 3 times a day, the normalization of this condition occurs in 1-2 days and the person is completely healthy by day 3.
    • Severe form - In this case, the febrile state lasts 3-5 days, repeated vomiting, stools up to 20 times a day, the pressure drops sharply, the voice weakens, by the nature of the course of severe salmonellosis resembles dysentery.
  • Typhoid form- at first it proceeds as gastrointestinal, but then its character begins to resemble the symptoms of typhoid fever, such as a febrile state for a week, severe manifestations of intoxication, patients are in a darkened consciousness with possible delirium and hallucinations, on days 6-7, a rash usually appears on the abdomen, which takes 2-3 days. The patient's tongue becomes gray-brown, the skin is pale, the liver and spleen are enlarged, and bloating is observed. Recovery with this form of salmonellosis occurs in 1-1.5 months.
  • Septic form- a very rare form of the development of this disease, it happens only in the elderly, weakened people and in newborns. It is characterized by prolonged fever, profuse sweating, chills, jaundice, purulent inflammatory processes in organs and tissues develop. With this course of the disease, a high rate of death or the acquisition of chronic sepsis with damage to certain organs.
  • Asymptomatic form- as a rule, when a small amount of bacteria gets in, a strong body independently copes with the infectious attack of salmonellosis, while the symptoms of the disease are not observed.
  • Carrier bacteria- when infected, a person can remain a carrier of bacilli and excrete salmonella with feces for either a short time or within 3 months.

How to determine if it is salmonellosis?

Symptoms in the most common form of the disease - gastrointestinal, especially after consuming dubious food, are obvious, but it is difficult to determine from them that this is salmonellosis. Without an analysis of feces and vomit, no doctor can affirmatively declare that the infection was caused by salmonella.

Is hospital treatment necessary for salmonellosis?

With a mild severity of the gastrointestinal form of salmonellosis, treatment can be carried out on an outpatient basis as prescribed by an infectious disease doctor. The situation can be characterized as a mild form and hospitalization can be refused, provided that there was vomiting only once, diarrhea no more than 10 times a day. However, if we are talking about a child, especially with significant dehydration, you should use hospital care.

Weakened children, patients with severe and moderate forms of the disease and in connection with the epidemiological situation of salmonellosis are subject to hospitalization in an infectious diseases hospital. Treatment of an intestinal infection is carried out depending on the age of the patient, the stage of the inflammatory process and taking into account concomitant chronic diseases.

Is it necessary to drink antibiotics for salmonellosis?

Since most Salmonella strains are resistant to antibiotics, they are rarely used, mainly only in severe cases: quinolones and nitrofuran agents, as well as fluoroquinolones, cephalosporins, intestinal antimicrobial drug Rifaximin (Alpha-Normix), which acts only in the intestinal lumen.

Antibiotics are used only as directed by a doctor, it is believed that in a typical gastrointestinal form of salmonellosis, the use of antibiotics is more likely to have a negative effect, since the action of antimicrobial drugs inhibits the elimination of toxins and salmonella, rather than only intensifies intoxication.

How to treat salmonellosis at home?

First, the stomach is washed until a clear liquid comes out. With salmonellosis, the symptoms of which are mild, this procedure is sufficient, as well as the use to restore the body.

Also effective is a cleansing enema and the use of various sorbents, such as Polyphepan, Enterosgel, Enterodez, activated carbon, etc. It is necessary to observe bed rest with a sparing diet - herbal teas, crackers, slimy cereal soups.

If there is a dehydration process, what to do?

The main focus of treatment is on rehydration and removal of intoxication in patients. With prolonged diarrhea, special saline solutions Regidron, Glucosolan, Oralit are used to correct dehydration. You can prepare a similar solution yourself: 8 teaspoons of glucose, 1.5 g. potassium chloride, 1/2 teaspoon of soda, 1 teaspoon of salt per liter of water. This solution or the pharmacy version of the saline solution should be drunk frequently, several sips at a time. For 6 hours it is necessary for an adult to drink 300 ml. every hour, then after each stool you should drink another 100-200 ml.

How to restore intestinal microflora?

To normalize the function of the digestive system, the doctor may prescribe enzyme preparations, such as Pancreatin, Festal, Mezim. To restore microflora and prophylaxis that occurs with salmonellosis, after an acute period, probiotics are prescribed, the intake of which should be at least 20 days - Bifidobacterin, Lactobacterin, (see). You should also follow a dietary diet that excludes fatty, canned food, confectionery, raw fruits, milk. If there are no allergic reactions to medicinal plants, you can drink the following anti-inflammatory natural herbs - calendula, chamomile, etc.

How not to get sick with salmonellosis?

There are some rules that many follow at home to prevent any intestinal infections, including salmonellosis:

  • Wash your hands before eating- the most important rule, familiar from childhood, but for the prevention of salmonellosis and other intestinal infections is the most effective.
  • Separate knife for raw meat and fish- this also applies to the cutting board, which, together with a knife, should be thoroughly washed and rinsed with boiling water after use.
  • Don't eat poorly cooked meat- meat and poultry should be cooked for at least 1 hour.
  • Don't eat eggnog- and do not drink raw eggs, they need to be boiled for 20 minutes, if you need to use a raw egg, wash it thoroughly with soap.
  • Drink only boiled milk- and also avoid the use of cheese like "Adyghe" and cottage cheese in the summer, purchased in questionable retail outlets.
  • Avoid eating in questionable establishments during the summer.

What are the consequences of salmonellosis?

A serious consequence of salmonellosis is dehydration, which occurs especially quickly in children. The consequences can arise only after the transfer of moderate and severe forms of the disease, especially the typhoid and septic varieties. Complications such as infectious toxic shock, acute heart failure, cerebral edema, urinary and biliary tract infections, pneumonia are observed only in severe septic cases. The most formidable is infectious-toxic shock and toxic gut, which you can get if you try to stop diarrhea with imodium or loperamide.

However, even after transferring the disease in a mild typical form, the body needs time and favorable conditions for recovery, since with salmonellosis, water-salt metabolism is disturbed, the absorption of nutrients, trace elements and vitamins is impaired, the immune system is weakened.

Salmonellosis is by no means a "raw egg disease." In fact, there are no bacteria in eggs, but they can become infected if chicken manure gets on them. Learn about the most common myths about Salmonella and raw eggs.

Myth 1. Eggs are the source of salmonellosis.

Actually the source salmonellosis there are chickens, and there are no Salmonella in fresh eggs, even if you look for them very well. So why can you get salmonella from eating eggs? The fact is that particles of chicken droppings (which contain salmonella) can get on the shell and infect the egg. That is why it is advised to thoroughly wash the eggs before use.

Soft-boiled egg cutlet

Myth 2. Salmonella can only be infected by eating domesticated eggs.

This is a big misconception. No poultry farm can guarantee you the complete safety of its products. This is physically impossible.

Fried eggs in the oven

In addition, cattle, goats, sheep and even pigs also carry salmonellosis.

Egg yolk mogul with milk and sugar infused in a water bath for five minutes from Evil Olive Food

Myth 3. Salmonella dies in the freezer and heat treatment

Salmonella is a very hardy bacterium. She lives in water for up to 6 months, in sausages and meat - up to 4 months, and in frozen poultry - up to a year or more.

Egg boiling time and stage of readiness

However, with heat treatment, Salmonella really dies. True, it dies, provided that you boil a hard-boiled egg or fry an omelet on both sides. A soft-boiled egg or fried egg carries the same danger as (if it is initially infected with salmonella).

Myth 4. Quail eggs do not contain salmonella

This is perhaps the most common Salmonella myth. In fact, any bird can contract Salmonella if it is not properly fed and kept in too hot and warm environments. Therefore, if you keep quails in such conditions, then they can easily become infected with salmonella.

Myth 5. You can recover from salmonellosis yourself, it is enough to take antibiotics

Note that salmonellosis is a rather serious infectious disease. With the wrong treatment, salmonellosis can even become chronic. That is why, if you suspect salmonellosis, you should immediately consult a doctor, and if the diagnosis is confirmed, you should undergo full treatment in a hospital.

Note that most intestinal pathogens are resistant to many antibiotics. If you independently select an antibiotic for yourself, then you risk becoming a hidden carrier of the infection.