> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Salmonella Poisoning: What you need to know - URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/salmonella_poisoning_1020130108/ - Published: 2013-10-20T13:50:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-09-15T14:01:01.000Z - Description: A question-and-answer piece on salmonellosis: symptoms appear within 12 to 72 hours of eating contaminated food and last four to seven days, the CDC counts roughly 42,000 reported US cases and 400 deaths a year, and most people recover without treatment or antibiotics. - Author: Food Consumer - Tags: Biological, Food Safety, #vivvo-import Sunday Oct 20, 2013 (foodconsumer.org) -- Salmonella poisoning - one of the most common causes of food poisoning in the United States is caused by Salmonella, a group of rod-shaped, Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, predominantly motile enterobacteria. **What are Salmonella symptoms?** Common symptoms include diarrhea, fever, abdominal cramps, and vomiting. Usually, symptoms show up 12 to 74 hours within 12 to 72 hours of the ingestion of contaminated foods and last 4 to7 days. **How common is Salmonella poisoning (Salmonellosis)?** Salmonella poisoning causes about 42,000 cases of illness and kills about 400 people in the U.S every year. The cases are reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that the number of unreported cases, which are likely less severe, can be much higher. **Are there any long-term complication resulting from a Salmonella infection?** It's rare but possible that some people ater eating salmonella tainted foods or touching Salmonella carrying animals may experience some rare symptoms like pain in their joints, irritation of the eyes and painful urination, which are symptoms of reactive arthritis that can last for months or years and is hard to treat. **How can Salmonella poisoning be diagnosed?** Laboratory tests need to be done to confirm an illness is caused by Salmonella. **What Salmonella treatment is available or how can Salmonella illness be treated?** In most cases, there is no need for Salmonella treatment. People often do not experience severe Salmonella symptoms and their symptoms will go way in 5 to 7 days without any treatment. These people do not need any Salmonella treatment other than oral fluids. If a person has severe diarrhea, then he needs to use intravenous fluids to rehydrate. Antibiotics can be risky in the case of Salmonella poisoning because they can prolong the duration of excretion of non-typhoidal Salmonella. Thus antibiotics may be used only in persons with severe symptoms like severe diarrhea, high fever, bloodstream infection or those who need hospitalized or those who are at high risk of severe disease or complications including young infants, older adults and immunocompromised persons like cancer patients, HIV carriers or AIDS patients, and patients who receive transplants. **Who are at risk for Salmonella poisoning?** Most people recover without treatment. But, older adults, infants, and persons with chronic diseases or immunity compromised may experience more severe Salmonella symptoms. **What foods are more likely contaminated with Salmonella?** The foods that can be contaminated with Salmonella include eggs, poultry, meat, unpasteurized milk or juice, cheese, raw fruits, vegetables (alfalfa sprouts, melons), spices/seasoning, nuts or even pet foods and pet treats. When salmonella is found in a food, it means that the food is contaminated with animal feces. **What are the non-food sources for Salmonella?** Animals and their environment that can carry Salmonella including reptiles (snakes, turtles, lizards), amphibians (frogs), and birds (baby chicks). **What should I do if I suspect I got Salmonella poisoning?** Drink plenty of fluids - water and chicken soup etc. and get rest. If you cannot drink enough fluids or if your salmonella symptoms are severe, seek medical attention. Antibiotics may be necessary only if the pathogenic bacteria spread from the intestines to the blood stream. **How can I prevent Salmonella poisoning?** 1) Avoid eating high-risk foods including raw eggs, undercooked ground beef or poultry, and raw milk if you are in the at-risk group. 2) Keep food refrigerated before cooking. Chill foods promptly and leave no food uncooked or undercooked out of refrigerator for more than 2 hours. 3) Clean hands with soap and warm water carefully before handling food to prevent contamination or cross contamination. Clean surfaces that have been touched by high risk foods. 4) Store raw foods, cooked foods, and ready-to-eat foods separately. Do not let utensils be the vehicle for cross contamination. 5) Cook foods to a safe internal temperature. Read below. 6) Wash your hand after touching animals, their food or treats, or their living environment. All the information presented above comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Foodsafety.gov, and Food and Drug Administration and should be considered authoritative. Below is cited directly from foodsafety.gov **Safe Minimum Cooking Temperatures** Use this chart and a food thermometer to ensure that meat, poultry, seafood, and other cooked foods reach a safe minimum internal temperature. Remember, you can’t tell whether meat is safely cooked by looking at it. Any cooked, uncured red meats – including pork – can be pink, even when the meat has reached a safe internal temperature. Why the Rest Time is Important After you remove meat from a grill, oven, or other heat source, allow it to rest for the specified amount of time. During the rest time, its temperature remains constant or continues to rise, which destroys harmful germs. | **Category** | **Food** | **Temperature (°F)** | **Rest Time** | | ---------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------- | | **Ground Meat & Meat Mixtures** | Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb | 160 | None | | Turkey, Chicken | 165 | None | | | **Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb** | Steaks, roasts, chops | 145 | 3 minutes | | **Poultry** | Chicken & Turkey, whole | 165 | None | | Poultry breasts, roasts | 165 | None | | | Poultry thighs, legs, wings | 165 | None | | | Duck & Goose | 165 | None | | | Stuffing (cooked alone or in bird) | 165 | None | | | **Pork and Ham** | Fresh pork | 145 | 3 minutes | | Fresh ham (raw) | 145 | 3 minutes | | | Precooked ham (to reheat) | 140 | None | | | **Eggs & Egg Dishes** | Eggs | Cook until yolk and white are firm | None | | Egg dishes | 160 | None | | | **Leftovers & Casseroles** | Leftovers | 165 | None | | Casseroles | 165 | None | | | **Seafood** | Fin Fish | 145 or cook until flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork. | None | | Shrimp, lobster, and crabs | Cook until flesh is pearly and opaque. | None | | | Clams, oysters, and mussels | Cook until shells open during cooking. | None | | | Scallops | Cook until flesh is milky white or opaque and firm. | None | |