Salmonellosis is a disease of an infectious nature that is caused by bacteria and is characterized by intoxication and damage, mainly of the stomach and intestines.
Causes
The bacterium belongs to the rod
- shaped
gram -
negative bacteria from the Salmonella genus, the Enterobacteriaceae family (Salmonella, Shigella). The microbe is resistant to environmental influences. It survives in water for up to six months, in soil for up to eighteen months. Salmonella is often found in meat and milk. That this is an oversight, poor storage or handling is not important. The infectious beginning is not only preserved, but also capable of reproduction. The taste of products and appearance does not change. Smoking, salting, freezing foods does not lead to the death of the infectious onset.
The source of the disease is a sick person or a carrier of bacteria, as well as poultry and animals. Infection can occur when eating meat obtained from an infected animal (sheep, pigs, cattle, geese, ducks, chickens), contaminated milk and eggs. Salmonella in eggs is the most common cause of infection. Sometimes the pathogen can be transmitted through household items, food, water in ponds, if there was contact with a sick person or animal. The disease is noted in many countries of the world. It is more common in the warm season in large cities. Elderly people and children are more susceptible to it because of their low resistance to the causative agent of the disease.
Disease development
Once in the stomach with the intestines, the Salmonella bacterium reaches the small intestine, where it is captured by epithelial cells and penetrates the mucous membrane. Here its reproduction occurs, which causes inflammatory changes in the mucosa, and the bacterium spreads further into the blood and lymph nodes. With the death of obsolete salmonella, there is a constant intoxication of the body. The microcirculation of the blood is disrupted, the transport of ions, which leads to a sharp release of water and electrolytes into the intestinal lumen from the cells.
Symptomatology
The incubation period is from six hours to eight days. At this time, the pathogen does not show itself. Then the disease enters into full rights, like salmonella, the symptoms appear as follows: the temperature rises sharply, dizziness, weakness, headache, chills. The patient's stomach rumbles and swells, pains are noted in him, his appetite is reduced, loose stools appear (it may be mixed with mucus and fetid), vomiting, and nausea.
The doctor examining the patient in whom Salmonella has settled, the symptoms will reveal the following: lowering blood pressure, increased heart rate, dehydration (skin elasticity is reduced, mucous membranes are pale and dry, urine is reduced, thirst is noted, hoarseness, some muscles may shrink convulsively) , spleen and liver are enlarged, skin and sclera are icteric.
Sometimes the disease can take a severe septic form when secondary purulent foci begin to form in various organs (in the liver, pia mater, lymph nodes, gall bladder, aorta, lungs, endocardium, joints, bones).
The complications most commonly encountered with this disease are toxic infectious shock, hypovolemic shock, acute renal failure.
Bacteriocarrier
This form of the disease is characterized by the fact that no clinical manifestations are observed in humans, but salmonella (photo) is detected during serological and bacteriological studies. All bacteria carriers can be divided into the following categories: acute carriage, chronic and transient.
Acute is observed among convalescents and is characterized by the release of a microbe from the body of the carrier for a period of fifteen days to three months.
Chronic carriage is implied when salmonella is excreted from the body for more than three months. What is it, confirms the mandatory observation for six months and the re- examination of the duodenal contents, urine, feces.
Transient bacterial carriage implies the absence of clinical signs at the time of the examination and the previous three months, and bacteriological studies gave a positive result once or twice with an interval of one day with negative results in the subsequent.
Diagnostics
It is possible to find out what kind of disease is involved by collecting epidemiological data (salmonella in eggs and other food products, the group nature of the disease). The laboratory receives confirmation by resorting to specific research methods.
Bacteriological research. Salmonella is released from the washings of the stomach, urine, blood, bile, vomit, and feces. What is she - and confirms the study.
Indirect hemagglutination reaction, agglutination reaction, complement binding reaction - the titer of antibodies to the pathogen in the blood serum is determined.
Of the non-specific methods of laboratory diagnostics, a general blood test is used.
Differential diagnosis
This infection has to be distinguished from Escherichiosis and dysentery, typhoid and cholera, food poisoning by animal or plant poisons, inorganic and organic substances, appendicitis and myocardial infarction.
Therapy
As soon as salmonella is isolated, the treatment should be as follows: the stomach is washed with two, three liters of water or a two percent solution of sodium bicarbonate. The patient is prescribed a diet, which includes food that spares the gastrointestinal tract both mechanically and chemically. When salmonella is detected, treatment involves the mandatory restoration of the level of fluid in the body and the number of electrolytes.
With a mild form of the disease and dehydration, rehydration is carried out orally (through the mouth) with Gastrolit, Regidron, Citroglucosalan and other electrolyte solutions. You can use sugar-salt solution, which is prepared by adding eight teaspoons of sugar and two teaspoons of table salt to one liter of boiled water. The total volume of fluid to be replenished should be equal to the volume of fluid lost with stool and water.
If the disease and / or dehydration take a severe form, then resort to the intravenous administration of polyionic solutions (“Ringerlactate”, “Chlosol”, “Acesol”, “Trisol”, “Quartasol”). The solution is administered at a certain rate and in a certain volume, which depend on the degree of fluid loss and the level of dehydration of the body.
To destroy the pathogen itself, they resort to one of a number of antibacterial drugs: Ofloxacin, Norfloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Ceftriaxone.
To reduce the degree of intoxication of the body, they resort to the help of enterosorbents: Polysorb, Polyphepan, Enterosorb, Enterodes.
Restore the electrolyte balance disturbed by the disease, help drugs "Bismuth subsalicylate", "Sandostatin", "Imodium", "Acetylsalicylic acid", "Indomethacin"
Also, the patient needs to take drugs that increase the nonspecific resistance of the body and restore normal intestinal microflora (eubiotic bacterial agents, vitamins, antioxidants). You can write out a patient after a full clinical recovery and confirmation by a bacteriological study of the absence of a pathogen in the feces.
Prevention
Prevention of the disease consists in mandatory veterinary and sanitary control over the slaughter of poultry and livestock, compliance with all the rules and technologies for processing carcasses, proper transportation, storage, and sale of food products. There is a vaccine containing inactivated salmonella. What this prevents the disease of birds and pets, everyone knows. A survey of workers in child care facilities and food businesses also helps prevent disease.