Salmonella: A Food Borne Illness.

Essay by beefmaster06High School, 10th gradeA+, January 2004

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Salmonella: A Food Borne Illness

As an important health problem in the United States and many European countries, Salmonella can affect you at anytime or any place. But, there are ways to avoid it. You first must know the background and exactly what salmonella is.

Salmonella was discovered by a pioneering American Veterinary Scientist named Daniel E. Salmon. He discovered the first strain of this bacterium in the intestine of a dead pig. He named it salmonella after his last name, Salmon. The full scientific name is Salmonelliosis.

You may have heard a lot about salmonella in a recent Hoards Dairyman magazine, or on the news. Salmonelliosis is an infection with a bacterium called salmonella. The salmonella germ is a microscopic living creature that passes from the feces of people or animals to others. Salmonella has been causing illnesses for over 100 years. Salmonella is most common in birds, mainly poultry.

Also susceptible to the bacteria is newborn calves. They can receive it by getting fed bloody colostrum from the dam. Also the feces from the dam could get in the mouth of the calf after being born.

Preventing salmonella from getting into your intestinal tract is fairly easy. All you need to do to prevent it is properly handle and cook eggs and other high risk foods. Uncooked eggs and meats should be kept separate from ready-to-eat foods. Another important factor on preventing salmonella is keeping hands, cutting boards, counters, knives, etcetera, clean and washed thoroughly. After dealing with animals make washing your hands a must!

What happens if you are at risk for salmonella? What are the symptoms? Hearing the symptoms just might make you think twice about not washing your hands after cleaning a barn or cleaning up after your pet. The incubation period, i.e. the...