Diagnosing Salmonella infection requires testing a specimen (sample), such as stool (poop) or blood. Testing can help guide treatment decisions.
Steps in laboratory testing and reporting Salmonella infection
- Infection is diagnosed when a laboratory test detects Salmonella bacteria in stool, body tissue, or fluids. The test could be a culture that isolates the bacteria or a culture-independent diagnostic test (CIDT) that detects genetic material of the bacteria.
- CDC encourages laboratories to culture specimens with positive CIDT results. This process is called “reflex culturing.”
- Clinical diagnostic laboratories report the test results to the doctor and submit Salmonella isolates to state public health laboratories for serotyping and DNA fingerprinting.
- Public health laboratories report the results to CDC’s Laboratory-based Enteric Disease Surveillance and to PulseNet.
- Public health laboratories forward unusual serotypes to CDC’s National Salmonella Reference Laboratory for further characterization or confirmation.
Salmonella Serotypes
Salmonella are divided into serotypes according to structures on the their surface.
Some serotypes are only found in one kind of animal or in a single place. Others are found in many different animals and all over the world.A few serotypes can cause especially severe illnesses; most typically cause milder illnesses.
Serotyping has played an important role for decades in understanding the epidemiologic and molecular characterization of Salmonella. Today, modern genetic subtyping methods provide scientists with additional information that is used to determine the serotypes and to identify, investigate, and trace outbreaks.
PulseNet
State public health laboratories routinely subtype Salmonella isolates by serotyping and by whole genome sequencing (WGS)-based subtyping. The laboratories submit results from whole genome sequencing to a dynamic database maintained by PulseNet, a national network of public health and food regulatory agency laboratories coordinated by CDC.
PulseNet includes state health departments, local health departments, agricultural laboratories and federal agencies (CDC, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
PulseNet data are available to participating health departments for comparing WGS profiles. Finding a group of infections with the same or very similar profiles could indicate an outbreak. Finding the same profile in a food could help link illness to a specific food source.
FAQs
While children will sometimes carry Salmonella for a year or more, it's quite uncommon for adults to continue carrying the bacteria. But it can happen on occasion.
How do you diagnose salmonella poisoning? ›
Diagnosing Salmonella infection requires testing a specimen (sample), such as stool (poop) or blood. Testing can help guide treatment decisions. Infection is diagnosed when a laboratory test detects Salmonella bacteria in stool, body tissue, or fluids.
What is the treatment for salmonella? ›
Because salmonella infection can cause dehydration, treatment focuses on replacing lost fluids and electrolytes — minerals that balance the amount of water in the body. If dehydration is severe, emergency room care or hospitalization may be needed so that fluids can be delivered directly into a vein (intravenous).
What is the standard treatment for salmonellosis fluid and electrolyte replacement IV antibiotics oral antibiotics topical antibiotics? ›
What is the best medication for salmonella?
| Best medications for salmonella | | |
|---|
| Zithromax (azithromycin) | Macrolide antibiotic | Oral |
| Rocephin (ceftriaxone) | Cephalosporin antibiotic | Injection |
| Invanz (ertapenem) | Carbapenem antibiotic | Infusion |
| Typhim Vi (salmonella typhi ty2 vi polysaccharide antigen) | Vaccine | Injection |
4 more rowsJul 20, 2020
Most people recover from Salmonella infection within four to seven days without antibiotics. People who are sick with a Salmonella infection should drink extra fluids as long as diarrhea lasts. Antibiotic treatment is recommended for: People with severe illness.
How quickly does Salmonella make you sick? ›
Most people develop diarrhea, fever and stomach (abdominal) cramps within 8 to 72 hours after exposure. Most healthy people recover within a few days to a week without specific treatment.
What kills Salmonella naturally? ›
Washington, D.C.—Tomato juice can kill Salmonella Typhi and other bacteria that can harm people's digestive and urinary tract health, according to research published this week in Microbiology Spectrum, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
How long is Salmonella contagious? ›
How long is salmonellosis contagious? Salmonellosis symptoms usually last for about 4 to 7 days. A person can still transmit the bacteria for several weeks after symptoms fade, and even several months later.
What do I eat if I have Salmonella? ›
"You can start with what's called the BRAT diet, which stands for: bananas, rice, apples, toast," says Dr. Kalakota. "And if you don't like any of those, just be sure you're choosing something bland — crackers, plain grits, plain oatmeal."
What not to do when you have Salmonella? ›
Always wash your hands after contact with animals. Also wash your hands after using the toilet, changing diapers, or helping someone with diarrhea clean up after using the toilet. If you have a Salmonella infection, you should not prepare food or drinks for others until you no longer have diarrhea.
Preventing Salmonellosis
- Wash your hands.
- Keep your food preparation areas clean.
- Avoid unpasteurized foods.
- Cook and store your food at the appropriate temperatures.
- Be careful when handling animals.
- Use caution when swimming.
- Do you suspect that you have a foodborne or waterborne illness?
- Germicidal Bleach. Clean-Up® Disinfectant Cleaner with Bleach. Total 360® Disinfectant Cleaner1
- Pine-Sol® Tilex® Dispatch®
If you have a salmonella infection, your diarrhea typically will have a strong odor. Sometimes you may also have blood in the stool. The illness often lasts for just a few days. Children younger than 3 months may have the infection for a longer period of time.
How to diagnose Salmonella? ›
Stool Testing
If your healthcare provider suspects salmonella may be causing nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, and other symptoms, they can order a stool test—that's the only way to know for sure whether your illness is due to the infection.
Is Salmonella contagious by kissing? ›
Salmonella is contagious and is transmitted from person-to-person by direct contact such as kissing or sexual activity and indirect contact such as sharing contaminated eating utensils. Some Salmonella species can be transmitted from animals such as chickens, ducks, and turtles to humans, usually by direct contact.
How long are you contagious after Salmonella? ›
How long is salmonellosis contagious? Salmonellosis symptoms usually last for about 4 to 7 days. A person can still transmit the bacteria for several weeks after symptoms fade, and even several months later.
How long is the clinical period for Salmonella? ›
Clinical Presentation
The incubation period of salmonellosis is typically 12–96 hours, but it can be ≥7 days. Illness manifests commonly with acute diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever, and usually resolves without treatment after 1–7 days.
What is the isolation period for Salmonella? ›
Cases who are food handlers should not attend work until 48 hours have elapsed after symptoms resolve. The case should be provided with information regarding hand washing and hygiene before returning to work. Children in childcare should be excluded until 24 hours after diarrhoea ceases.
What can be mistaken for Salmonella? ›
E. coli and salmonella may have similar symptoms as they are both bacterial infections. You may not experience all of these symptoms, and there are some differences. Most often, your symptoms will appear suddenly after you have become infected.
