What are the causes and symptoms of salmonella food poisoning?
Salmonella food poisoning can occur when someone drinks unpasteurized milk or eats undercooked chicken or eggs, or salad dressings or desserts which contain raw eggs. Even if Salmonella-containing foods such as chicken are thoroughly cooked, any food can become contaminated during preparation if conditions and equipment for food preparation are unsanitary. Other foods can then be accidentally contaminated if they come into contact with infected surfaces. In addition, children have become ill after playing with turtles or iguanas, and then eating without washing their hands. Because the bacteria are shed in the feces for weeks after infection with Salmonella, poor hygiene can allow such a carrier to spread the infection to others. Symptoms appear about one-two days after infection, and include fever (in 50% of patients), nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps and pain. The diarrhea is usually very liquid, and rarely contains mucus or blood. Diarrhea usually lasts for about
