Know All about Salmonella

Defining Salmonella

Salmonella is one of the most common causes of food – borne illness and leads to a condition called salmonellosis. Salmonella is a rod shaped, gram negative bacteria that passes from the feces of different animals or people to other animals or people.

Any food products coming from animal can contain salmonella. There is possibility that seafood, dairy products, poultry, eggs, milk and meat can contain salmonella. Sometimes vegetables and fruits also contain salmonella. Salmonella causes sickness at the failure of cooking animal products to an adequate temperature.

Salmonellosis – An Overview

Salmonellosis is an infection that occurs due to the exposure to salmonella. Approximately, more than 500 illnesses occur due to salmonellosis every year in the United States.

Salmonellosis Symptoms:

• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Headache
• Stomach cramps
• Fever
• Nausea
• Chills

The peanut butter salmonella outbreak surprised many food experts. Usually, bacteria do not thrive in the low moisture environment and high fat provided by the peanut butter. Moreover, peanut butter is pasteurized and bacteria do not survive the high heat required for the pasteurization process. However, research into the topic of peanut butter safety provided even bigger surprises. It is not the first outbreak associated with peanut butter. In 1996, a similar salmonella outbreak occurred in Australia affecting more than 50 people. Researchers believe that peanut butter is an associated source of salmonella: this differs from principle source like eggs, raw meats and poultry. Although, salmonella occurs in peanut butter but there has to be a source for the contagion to occur. According to a study published in the Journal of Food Protection in November 2006, low water and high fat composition of peanut butter allows the growth of three different types of bacteria.

ConAgra manufactured the tainted peanut butter. Recently, the United States Food and Drug Administration announced to discard all the Peter Pan peanut butter purchased after May 2006. Recall also affected Wal-Mart’s Great Value peanut butter.

Individuals who develop diarrhea due to salmonella exposure usually recover completely in a short period. A small no. of individuals exposed to salmonella end up with irritation in their eyes, painful urination known as Reiter’s syndrome and joint pain. This condition may last for months and even years leading to chronic arthritis.

Protection from Salmonella

Sanitizing plays an important role in avoiding salmonella. Quaternary ammonium is effective against salmonella as is alcohol. Salmonella is found in the intestines of animals and spreads by coming in contact with animal feces. Salmonella present in the juices of raw meat and poultry leads to food borne illness and can contaminate other food products. Food contamination can also occur when handled by an individual who has salmonella present in his hands. The feces of pet can also cause salmonella contamination, particularly if a pet has diarrhea. Reptiles’ also have salmonella present in them. Therefore, after handling reptiles, it becomes imperative to wash the hands immediately. Cooking meat products properly at right temperature followed by measuring inside temperature with a thermometer can kill salmonella responsible for causing illness.

If you suffered from sickness after consuming Great Value peanut butter or Peter Pan peanut butter, immediately seek the advice of an experienced unsafe products lawyer for an evaluation. He will help you in filing a Peter Pan peanut butter lawsuit and receive monetary compensation for the medical expenses, future medical care, lost of wages and other costs.