What You Might Not Know About Salmonella Symptoms
Posted by Medical Fan - 23/12/08 at 08:12 am- No related posts
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What You Might Not Know About Salmonella Symptoms
Consumption of raw or poorly cooked eggs and poultry products have resulted in a lot of food poisoning cases that have been attributed to Salmonella. Salmonella, however, can also be acquired from eating other food products that have been exposed to the bacteria.
Salmonella is caused by different strains of bacteria under the species Salmonella enterica. Eating food or drinking liquids contaminated with these bacteria causes a whole range of Salmonella symptoms.
The more common Salmonella symptoms are diarrhea, abdominal cramps, sudden fever, chills, nausea and vomiting. Most of these symptoms occur within three days from exposure to the bacteria. The fever generally disappears by the third day of the illness, even without medical intervention. The diarrhea that accompanies Salmonella may be bloody but the diarrhea usually lasts only up to a week. The loss of fluid due to diarrhea can cause dehydration in the person, which can also be harmful to his health. That is why if the diarrhea does not get better on its own, the patient may have to be hospitalized and given IV fluids to prevent dehydration and other complications.
Another syndrome associated with the Salmonella bacteria is enteric fever. This is characterized by symptoms like loss of appetite, sore throat, weakness, abdominal pain and gradually increasing fever. Sometimes, a “rose spot rash” may also be found, usually on the patient’s torso. The rash disappears when pressure is applied to it.
Salmonella symptoms are usually treated only as needed since the disease can usually disappear on its own. For patients with weaker immune systems, however, caution must be exercised because the infection can spread to the blood. This can be fatal so it is important to treat this as soon as possible with antibiotics.