Salmonella infection

H.Amer, Moh’d Khalid M,

Saffrullah Maruhom Salic Dipatuan Foundation Academy
a. Salmonella infection (salmonellosis)
 Salmonella is a gram-negative, rod-shaped bacilli that can cause diarrheal illness in
humans. They are microscopic living creatures that pass from the feces of people or
animals to other people or other animals. The Salmonella family includes over 2,300
serotypes of bacteria which are one-celled organisms too small to be seen without a
microscope. Strains that cause no symptoms in animals can make people sick, and
vice versa. If present in food, it does not usually affect the taste, smell, or appearance
of the food. The bacteria live in the intestinal tracts of infected animals and humans.
b. The causative agent (the microorganism chosen)
 Foods most commonly infected are:
Uncooked meat, seafood and poultry: Contamination most commonly occurs during
the slaughtering process. Harvesting seafood in contaminated waters is a common
cause.
Uncooked eggs: Eggs from an infected chicken may contain bacteria. Raw eggs are
found in some types of mayonnaise and homemade sauces.
 Fruits and vegetables: These may be contaminated if they have been watered or
washed in contaminated water. Fruits and vegetables can become contaminated if a
person handles raw meat and then touches the fruit without washing their hands.
c. Mode of Transmission
 Contaminated foods are often the source of animals, such as poultry, pork, beef,
chicken, milk, or eggs, but all foods, including vegetables, can be contaminated.
Many raw animal food sources are often contaminated, but fortunately, healthy
cooking kills Salmonella.
Meals can also be contaminated by the unwashed hand of an infected food handler,
which does not adequately wash his hands after using the toilet. Salmonella can also
be found in feces of some pets, and people can become infected if they do not wash
their hands after contact with animals.
 Reptiles and baby chicks / ducklings are particularly likely to harbor
Salmonella.
 People should always wash their hands immediately after handling these
animals.
d. Disease Prevention, Treatment and Management
Prevention
 When cooking, wash your hands, cutting boards, utensils, and countertops after they
have been in contact with raw meat or poultry. Wash your hands in between handling
different kinds of food (meat and vegetables, for example).
 Cook meat thoroughly, until the juices run clear.
 Do not purchase dirty or cracked eggs.
 Strict food handling procedures should be used when preparing dishes containing raw
or incompletely cooked eggs, such as homemade ice cream and mayonnaise.
 Do not consume unpasteurised milk.
 Follow good food handling procedures.
 Follow good hand washing and keeping areas clean procedures.
 Recognise the risk of Salmonella infections in pets. Chickens, ducklings, tropical
freshwater fish and turtles are particularly risky for small children.
 Hand washing after handling raw meat, (especially chicken) or raw eggs
 Always wash fruit (including melons) and vegetables before eating. If home grown,
wash them before bringing them into the house.
 Infected people who no longer have symptoms should take special care with hand
washing if they are involved in food preparation or in caring for patients in hospital, the
elderly or children.
Treatment and Management
 Recovery from Salmonella infection usually occurs within a week and antibiotic
treatment is not normally required. However, a doctor may prescribe antibiotics for
young infants, the elderly and in some other situations.
e. Nursing diagnosis
- Salmonella is diagnosed by stool culture or, if the infection has progressed to sepsis,
through a venous blood culture. Based on the results, the practitioner can order an
appropriate antibiotic. If the patient is dehydrated, he may also require hospitalization
for I.V.
Fluid therapy. Although most cases of salmonella resolve with no complications, some
patients develop signs and symptoms of Reiter's syndrome, which include arthritis of
weight-bearing joints, conjunctivitis, and inflammation of the urogenital tract.
Associated with bacterial infections such as salmonella, Reiter's syndrome appears
within a few weeks of infection. No specific treatment is available, but most cases
resolve spontaneously.
 Food handling guidelines. Inform your patient that food contaminated with Salmonella
may look and smell fine. Because raw foods may be contaminated, she should cook
meat and eggs thoroughly, scrub raw fruits and vegetables, and drink only pasteurized
milk. Suggest that she use two cutting boards to prepare foods: one for fresh fruit and
vegetables; the other for meat. Warn her not to use the same knife when preparing
both meat and fruits or vegetables without first disinfecting the blade. She should also
clean and disinfect food preparation surfaces after use.
 Hand hygiene. Teach your patient to wash her hands with soap and running water
after toileting or changing diapers and before handling any food. Also advise her to
wash her hands between the handling of different types of food.
 Egg safety precautions. If the ovaries of a hen are infected with S. enteritis’s, the yolks
of eggs she lays will be contaminated, even if the eggs were properly handled and
stored after collection.

f. Nursing Interventions
- Antibiotics aren't indicated in cases of uncomplicated gastroenteritis, unless the
infection spreads from the intestines. If diarrhea persists for more than 7 days or
bacteremia develops, rehydration with I.V. fluids is required. Following enteric
precautions, provide supportive treatment. Monitor and treat the patient for
dehydration as indicated. Notify your state's department of health of any salmonella
infection.
2. In my experience I haven’t been diagnose with bacteria or infection but there was my sister she
was diagnosed with diarrhea when she was 15 years old she’s been having a hard time because
the pain hasn’t gone for more than 3 days, we thought she will be okay after taking medication
but after 1 week she never got strong. My parents took her to the hospital the doctor said that
she’s been diagnosed with diarrhea or inflammatory bowel disease then the doctor give a receipt
for medication called anti-inflammatory drugs.
a. What was the diagnosis?
- The diagnosis is inflammatory bowel disease. My sister never know the diseases she
got because will be shocked for knowing it she’s been taking the medication for 3 times
day after 3 days she got release in hospital.
b. What were the disease-related health teaching to them?

- After my sister got released in the hospital I told her not ate contaminated food
because that’s where you got diarrhea and that’s why you’re getting an abdominal
pain, fever, nausea.

c. Did they understood and applied the health education you provided based on their level
of comprehension?

- As far as I know she understood what I’ve said to her because my mother is been
teaching me for every diseases or infection when I was in abroad, she was working as
an experience nurse or called skills.

d. What was your method of knowing that they grasped the health teaching?

- As I said she will avoid eating a contaminated food so she cannot get diarrhea again
or drink a dirty water.

e. Have you experience resistance of patient/S.O to your health education due to folklore or
traditional ways of healing from the disease?

- I think I haven’t experience resistance but since my health education comes from my
mother I think it a traditional because my mother knows the traditional ways of healing
a patient when she was in abroad.

f. How did you convince them to believe that your education was correct compared to what
was practiced before?

- As far I explain my health teaching to my sister she’s been alright ever since she got
diagnosed with diarrhea as I believe I convinced her not to eat any food that has been
expired or contaminated.
Bibliography

Online Document
Christian Nordqvist (2017) everything you need to know about salmonella. Retrieved from
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160942.php

Snow, Michelle (2006) Preventing salmonella infection. Retrieved from

https://journals.lww.com/nursing/Fulltext/2006/09000/Preventing_salmonella_infection.1
0.aspx
Seth Sweetser (2012) Evaluating the Patient with Diarrhea: A Case-Based Approach. Retrieved
from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3538472/

https://azdhs.gov/documents/preparedness/emergency.../zebra.../zm-s5-
salmonellosis.pdf

http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/salmonellosis/basics.html

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/160942.php