Most people who get ill from Salmonella have diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps. It can also be found on raw meats, poultry, eggs and in unpasteurised milk. Salmonella is mostly found in chicken eggs, unclean chicken, unpastuerized milk, tomatoes, peanut butter, ground meat and fish. Poultry (chickens, turkeys, etc) are especially likely to carry salmonella. Food is the source for most of these illnesses. ; Symptoms usually begin 6 hours to 6 days after infection and last 4 to 7 days. Salmonella food poisoning (Salmonellosis) is an illness that can occur if live Salmonella bacteria enters the body. Salmonella is a bacterium commonly found in the intestines of humans and animals. Salmonella bacteria may be found in the gut of many animals, including farm animals and pets. Salmonella was named after Daniel Elmer Salmon (1850–1914), an American veterinary surgeon. CDC estimates Salmonella bacteria cause about 1.35 million infections, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States every year. The bacteria can attach to the cells lining the intestines where they produce toxins and attack the intestinal cells. Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped (bacillus) Gram-negative bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae.The two species of Salmonella are Salmonella enterica and Salmonella bongori. S. enterica is the type species and is further divided into six subspecies that include over 2,600 serotypes. So, salmonella can contaminate meat (including poultry), eggs, milk and other dairy products that we may eat. Salmonella infection can be the result of eating food tainted with bacteria, but there are other ways you can get it.
Safe handling of raw meat and other raw food ingredients, thorough cooking and good kitchen hygiene, can prevent or reduce the risk posed by contaminated food. Salmonella is commonly found in the intestines of healthy birds and mammals. It can spread to humans through contaminated foods.
Salmonella bacteria are most often found in: raw meat; undercooked poultry such as chicken or turkey; eggs; unpasteurised milk; Young children, the elderly and people whose immune systems are not working properly have a greater risk of becoming severely ill with food poisoning caused by salmonella. Salmonella is showing up in a variety of pet food, prompting the FDA to issue recalls for dog food products from five different companies. In foods, it is most frequently found in eggs and raw meat from pigs, turkeys and chickens. The NHS has more information about the symptoms of salmonella poisoning.