Salmonella food poisoning is a bacterial food poisoning caused by the Salmonella bacterium. Salmonella is very common and is found on meat, poultry and rarely, seafood. Normal cooking destroys salmonella.  Salmonella is a genus of rod-shaped Gram-negative enterobacteria that causes typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, and foodborne illness. Most persons infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most persons recover without treatment.

Salmonella infection can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. Children and persons with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.

Complication of Salmonella:

• Diarrhea
• Increased risk of severe illness for young children, the elderly and others with weakened immune systems
• Meningitis
• Pregnancy risks
• Reiter's syndrome
• Severe dehydration
• Urinary tract infection

Causes of Salmonella

• Children would become ill when they play with turtles or iguanas, and then eats food without washing their hands properly.
• Salmonella can be spread through eating of undercooked chicken or eggs, or salad dressings or desserts
• Food can become contaminated during preparation if conditions and equipment for food preparation are unsanitary.
• Foods can be accidentally contaminated if they come into contact with infected surfaces.
• Poor hygiene can allow salmonella to spread its infection to others.
• Salmonella food poisoning can also occur when someone drinks un-pasteurized milk
• Children can be exposed to the bacteria by simply holding, cuddling, or kissing the birds.

Signs & Symptoms of Salmonella
Symptoms appear about one-two days after infection, and include

• Fever
• Nausea and vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Abdominal cramps and pain

Serious complications are rare, occurring most often in individuals with other medical illnesses. Other infections which can be caused by Salmonella include:

• Arthritis
• Bone infections
• Hepatitis
• Infection of the sac containing the heart
• Lungs infection
• Meningitis

Diagnosis of Salmonella
Determining that Salmonella is the cause of the illness a doctor needs support of laboratory tests that identify Salmonella in the stool of an infected person.  Once Salmonella has been identified, further testing can determine its specific type.

• Blood Test: Blood is far more likely to positively show a presence of the Salmonella bacterium when a sample is grown on a nutrient substance for identification purposes.
• Stool Test: Stool sample would also be helpful to identify salmonella
• Urine Test: Urine sample would also be helpful to identify salmonella

Preventions of Salmonella
There is no vaccine to prevent salmonella; the following prevention measures can be taken:

• Cross-contamination of foods should be avoided.
• Hand should be washed before handling food, and between handling different food items.
• Hands, cutting boards, counters, knives, and other utensils should be washed thoroughly after touching uncooked foods.
• People should not eat raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, or meat.
• People who have salmonella disease should not prepare food or pour water for others until their diarrhea has resolved. 
• Persons also should not consume raw or un-pasteurized milk or other dairy products.
• Poultry and meat, including hamburgers, should be well-cooked, not pink in the middle.
• Produce should be thoroughly washed.
• Uncooked meats should be kept separate from produce, cooked foods, and ready-to-eat foods

Treatments of Salmonella
Treatment for enteritis or food poisoning is controversial. Some doctors recommend no antibiotics since the disease is self-limited, while others suggest using antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin for 10-14 days :

• Oral fluids: Persons with severe diarrhea may require rehydration with intravenous fluids
• Antibiotics: Some Salmonella bacteria have become resistant to antibiotics, largely as a result of the use of antibiotics to promote the growth of food animals.

If you or a member of your family appears to have a case of Salmonellosis and has difficulty drinking or keeping down fluids, you may want to contact your family physician.