QUESTION: There was a recent outbreak of salmonella infection in a nursing home in our area.
Our mother lives at a similar home and we have been concerned that it could happen there too.
What are the symptoms we might be looking out for, can it be prevented and what treatments are available?
ANSWER: There are many members of the Salmonella family and over 2200 types that can react differently to certain serological tests.
Most types produce an acute gastroenteritis, and therefore the symptoms are those of abdominal distress.
The symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and sometimes vomiting.
Fever is usually present.
When both diarrhea and frequent vomiting is present, dehydration may occur and must be treated as well, with intravenous fluids.
When the infection is transmitted by contaminated food, the first symptoms will occur from 4 to 72 hours after eating that food, with the average time being 18 hours.
Prevention is most important, and brings us back to the basic rules of hygiene.
Meticulous hand washing, with soap and warm water, proper stool disposal, and isolation of infected individuals can reduce exposure to the bacteria.
Attention to the purity of the water and the preparation of food, as well as handling, storage and refrigeration of poultry, meat and eggs are musts.
Bed clothes should be laundered in hot, soapy water.
The use of antibiotics, with choramphenicol being the drug of choice, can greatly reduce the severity and duration of the illness and reduce the frequency of complications.
Ultimately the diagnosis of salmonella infections is based upon finding the bacteria in stool cultures, and you must not panic at the first sign of a mild stomach ache, since not all such symptoms herald the outbreak of a salmonella infection.
When a salmonella infection is suspected, however, prompt reporting to the proper health authorities is essential and can obtain the resources needed to combat the infection in the most effective manner possible.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
