Egg poisoning
Egg poisoning is a common occurrence, since they are present in one form or another in the diet of most people every day. They are used to prepare main dishes, desserts, used in baked goods and eaten in a natural, fried or boiled form. The nutritional value of eggs lies in the high content of easily digestible protein, a large amount of vitamins and microelements.
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How does the poisoning happen
Many birds, especially waterfowl, suffer from salmonellosis. The causative agent of the disease also infects their eggs. If the infected egg is not subjected to full heat treatment, then Salmonella enters the digestive system. In the villi of the small intestine, they actively multiply and secrete endotoxin, which causes inflammation in the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines.
With reduced immunity, Salmonella can penetrate into the submucous layer of the small intestine, from where it is carried throughout the body with the blood and lymph flow, causing damage to internal organs and septicemia.
Poisoning symptoms
The incubation period of salmonellosis in case of egg poisoning is short and usually does not exceed several hours.
The symptoms of the disease depend on the clinical form in which it proceeds.
- Gastrointestinal form. Symptoms come on suddenly, in full health. The patient has cramping abdominal pains, profuse vomiting, and then diarrhea. The feces are offensive, watery, mixed with greenery. The body temperature quickly rises to febrile values (38 ° C and above), and signs of general intoxication (headache and muscle pain, weakness, etc.) also rapidly increase.
- Typhoid form. It begins in almost the same way as the gastrointestinal form, but the symptoms of general intoxication are much more pronounced. In addition, there is an increase in the spleen and liver, prolonged fever. In some cases, a roseola rash may appear on the skin.
- Septic form. It is characterized by a serious general condition, the presence of a fever of the hectic type (a debilitating fever with temperature jumps of 4-5 ° C several times a day).
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First aid for poisoning
When the first signs of egg poisoning appear, measures should be taken to remove the infected product, salmonella and their endotoxin from the body.
- Flush the stomach. The patient should drink several glasses of clean water, and then irritate the root of the tongue with his fingers. As a result, vomiting occurs, during which toxic substances are removed from the stomach along with water and food debris. It is advisable to perform this procedure several times, until the wash water comes out clean. It is strictly forbidden to perform gastric lavage at home for young children and persons who are unconscious!
- Give a cleansing enema. To do this, about a liter of boiled and cooled water is poured into Esmarch's mug. The patient should be placed on his left side and asked to bend his knees. The tip of the enema is liberally lubricated with petroleum jelly and gently inserted into the anus. The clamp is removed from the rubber hose, after which the water enters the large intestine.
- Give enterosorbent. Medicines with sorbing properties act like blotting paper. They absorb pathogenic substances on their surface, retain them, and then remove them from the body in a natural way. As an enterosorbent, the patient can be given Activated carbon, Smecta, Enterosgel.
- Perform oral rehydration. Together with diarrhea, the body loses a significant amount of fluid. To prevent dehydration, as well as to combat general intoxication, the patient should drink a lot. You can drink weak black tea, still mineral water or plain water. But it is better to carry out oral rehydration with Rehydron solution or WHO powder. It is very important that the patient drinks the liquid in small sips, as this significantly reduces the risk of vomiting and reduces the severity of nausea.
When is medical attention required?
When food poisoning occurs, people often do not seek medical attention as the symptoms go away rather quickly. But you should not do this in case of egg poisoning: salmonellosis is a serious disease that requires special treatment. It is especially important to see a doctor early in case of egg poisoning that occurs in young children, the elderly, and pregnant women.
Treatment of poisoning consists in the correction of water-electrolyte disturbances and antibiotic therapy. If necessary, medications to improve digestion may be prescribed.
Possible consequences
With the gastrointestinal form of the disease, hypovolemic shock, acute renal and cardiovascular failure may occur.
With salmonellosis, septic complications can also form, which include:
- osteomyelitis;
- purulent arthritis;
- abscess of the kidneys, liver, spleen, brain;
- endocarditis;
- appendicitis;
- peritonitis;
- meningitis.
Against the background of poisoning, urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and in severe cases, toxic-infectious shock can occur.
With timely and complete treatment of the gastrointestinal and typhoid-like form of salmonellosis, the prognosis is usually favorable - the disease ends in full recovery. With a septic form, the prognosis is always serious. The septicopyemic variant of salmonellosis is often accompanied by severe complications, and its mortality rate reaches 0.3%.
Prevention
To prevent egg poisoning, you should follow the rules:
- when buying eggs, pay attention to the expiration date;
- Use cracked or broken eggs only for baking;
- wash eggs thoroughly with hot water before using;
- when cooking eggs, make sure that they are completely fried.
Given that the eggs of waterfowl are almost always infected with salmonella, it is strongly discouraged to eat them as an independent dish. They can only be used for baking.
For fried eggs with thin yolk or soft-boiled eggs, it is better to use quail eggs. Quails never get salmonellosis due to high body temperature, their eggs are safe, they do not cause poisoning.
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Elena Minkina Doctor anesthesiologist-resuscitator About the author
Education: graduated from the Tashkent State Medical Institute, specializing in general medicine in 1991. Repeatedly passed refresher courses.
Work experience: anesthesiologist-resuscitator of the city maternity complex, resuscitator of the hemodialysis department.
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!
