Salmonellosis - Prevention, Symptoms, Treatment Of The Disease

2024 Author: Rachel Wainwright | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 07:39

Salmonellosis

Salmonellosis is an infectious disease caused by various types of bacteria of the genus Salmonella. Salmonellosis is characterized by a variety of clinical manifestations and can have both asymptomatic and severe septic forms. In most cases, salmonellosis in children and adults leads to damage to the organs of the digestive tract, which are often complicated by toxic and dehydration shock.

At the moment, researchers know more than 2,000 serotypes of Salmonella. Poultry and animals are mainly sources of salmonellosis, however, humans can also act as a carrier. Most often, salmonellosis, the symptoms of which appear after eating contaminated food, develops as a result of improper cooking of food. A special risk group includes: meat of mammals and birds, fish, eggs, milk, cottage cheese, sour cream. You can also get infected with salmonellosis when drinking low-quality water from open reservoirs or city water supply.

When salmonella enters the body, they quickly overcome the protective barriers of the stomach and penetrate into the mucous membrane of the small intestine. Moreover, their activity is accompanied by an intense release of toxins, which determine the main signs of salmonellosis.

Salmonellosis symptoms, forms and clinical picture of the disease

The incubation period of infection ranges from several hours to 2-3 days. It is possible to develop nosocomial outbreaks when the disease is transmitted through the household. In this case, the symptoms of salmonellosis usually appear after 3-8 days. Let us briefly consider the main clinical forms of salmonellosis disease.

The gastrointestinal form is the most common and is diagnosed in 96-98% of patients who visit medical institutions with suspected salmonellosis. The consequences of this type of infection depend on the severity of the disease and the severity of the clinical symptoms of salmonellosis, which include:

• general weakness;
• headache;
• an increase in body temperature up to 40 degrees and above;
• nausea, vomiting;
• pain in the umbilical region;
• stool disorders.

Symptoms of salmonellosis, indicating changes in the gastrointestinal tract, appear 2-3 days after the onset of the disease. In the first days, the patient feels only mild intoxication and fever. With a mild form of salmonellosis, the symptoms are rather mild, and the patient practically does not feel the unpleasant consequences of the infection. A completely different picture is observed in cases where severe gastrointestinal salmonellosis develops, the treatment of which is carried out only in a hospital setting. With this form of salmonellosis, patients suffer from:

• high fever and fever lasting more than 5 days;
• severe intoxication;
• fetid, watery stools (10 times a day or more), sometimes mixed with mucus;
• cyanosis of the skin;
• significant drop in blood pressure;
• tachycardia;
• enlargement of the liver and spleen;
• changes in the kidneys (albuminuria, oliguria, high nitrogen content;
• acute renal failure.

If untreated, salmonellosis in children and adults leads to significant disorders of water-salt metabolism, dehydration of II-III degrees. In this state, patients have convulsions, dry skin, cyanosis, aphonia. Often, fluid loss reaches 10-12% of body weight, which causes numerous disruptions in the work of the main body systems. The most common clinical variant of the gastrointestinal form is gastroenteric salmonellosis, the consequences of which are manifested in the form of destructive changes in the colon and colitis.

Typhoid-like form of salmonellosis - begins acutely, is manifested by intestinal disorders already in the first days after the onset of the disease, however, after a few days, intestinal dysfunctions pass. Nevertheless, the patient's temperature remains consistently high. Also, patients are observed: apathy, lethargy, pallor of the skin, herpetic and roseola rash. In some cases, typhoid salmonellosis leads to bradycardia, a decrease in blood pressure, and muffling of heart sounds. Signs of salmonellosis, indicating damage to the liver and spleen, appear by the end of the 1st week.

Septic salmonellosis - the symptoms of this form are very pronounced and pose a danger to the patient's life. The disease begins with a severe fever, and in the future, the patient's condition constantly worsens. Patients show the following signs of salmonellosis:

• profuse sweating;
• significant daily fluctuations in body temperature;
• severe chills;
• the formation of purulent foci in the musculoskeletal system;
• endocarditis and aortitis with the subsequent development of aneurysm;
• tonsillitis, the appearance of cholecysto-cholangitis.

The septic form also leads to other serious consequences: meningitis (most often this is how salmonellosis manifests itself in children), liver abscess, ovarian infection, abscess of the gluteal region. The disease is characterized by a long course and can be fatal, therefore, if there is any suspicion of salmonellosis, treatment should be started as soon as possible after the obligatory consultation with specialists of medical institutions.

Prevention and treatment of salmonellosis

Patients with severe and moderate-severe forms of salmonellosis are shown inpatient treatment. They are prescribed calcium preparations (lactate, gluconate, glycerophosphate), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. To remove toxins, patients should take drugs based on cellulose and attapulgite, proteolytic enzymes, and cytoprotectors. For the destruction of pathogens, antibiotics are used: nitrofuran agents and quinolines - with a mild course; fluoroquinolones, ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, cephalosporins - in severe cases.

To speed up the treatment of salmonellosis and achieve the best results, patients are prescribed: a strict diet, courses of biological products, vitamin therapy, astringents, enveloping and carminative drugs. We also note that salmonellosis, the treatment of which was carried out correctly, does not lead to serious consequences, therefore, if any unpleasant symptoms appear, you should immediately consult a doctor for tests and an accurate diagnosis.

The prevention of salmonellosis is aimed at preventing the spread of pathogens among domestic animals and birds, observing the sanitary regime at public catering and food industry enterprises, and correct heat treatment of products before eating them.

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The information is generalized and provided for informational purposes only. At the first sign of illness, see your doctor. Self-medication is hazardous to health!