Salmonella: Easily spread,
easily prevented
May 23, 1996
Web posted at: 11:59 p.m. EDTFrom Correspondent Elizabeth Cohen
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- A University of Arkansas doctor says he believes most salmonella infections are spread not by contaminated food, but by contaminated people and pets. Dr. Gordon Schutze presented his findings this week at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in New Orleans.
Salmonella infections are on the rise: Four times as many people now get sick annually from salmonella as they did 40 years ago. To try to explain the rise, Schutze visited the homes of 18 infected children, expecting to find salmonella in the food or kitchen.
Instead, he found that in four homes, the adults or pets living with the children had salmonella infections.
When adults get sick from salmonella bacteria, they usually experience a day or two of diarrhea. Their illness is annoying, but not usually life-threatening.
But when a small child gets salmonella, the infection can be deadly. "They can develop a blood-borne illness which makes them very sick, and you could die from that. They can get the infection in their bones, or they could get meningitis, which is an infection of the brain," Schutze said.
"Feeding a child if your hands are not clean, putting your hands in their mouth or other things in their mouth will transmit the infection," he said.
Salmonella bacteria can also be spread through indirect contact, such as touching a surface that someone else then touches. Doctors say it is important to wash your hands after every visit to the bathroom.
"I think more people have become attuned to undercooked meats and raw eggs, et cetera, but forget that your hands still play a role in the transmission of infectious diseases," Schutze said.
About a third of all salmonella infections in the United States occur in children under the age of 5. Doctors say many of those cases could have been prevented if people had simply washed their hands.
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- Study confirms tainted ice cream sickened 200,000 - May 16, 1996
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