What is Salmonella?

What is Salmonella?
Salmonella is the most common cause of food-borne illness
and causes a condition known as salmonellosis. Salmonella
is a gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria that pass from the
feces of people or other animals to other people or animals.

What Foods Are Likely to Harbor Salmonella?

Any food that comes from an animal can contain salmonella.
Meat, poultry, milk, dairy products, eggs, and seafood are
can contain salmonella. Sometimes fruits and vegetables
also can contain salmonella. Salmonella can cause sickness
when animal products are not cooked to an adequate
temperature or when produce is not adequately washed.

What is Salmonellosis?

Salmonellosis is the infection that is caused by exposure
to salmonella. Salmonellosis results in more than 500
illnesses each year in the United States.

What are the symptoms of salmonellosis?

1. stomach cramps

2. chills

3. headache

4. nausea

5. vomiting

6. fever

7. diarrhea

How Does Salmonella Get Into Peanut Butter? The peanut
butter-salmonella outbreak came as a surprise to many food
safety experts. Bacteria typically do not thrive in the
high-fat, low-moisture environment that peanut butter
provides. Additionally, peanut butter usually is
pasteurized; bacteria do not usually survive the high heat
needed for the pasteurization process. Research into the
topic of past peanut butter safety, however, provided even
bigger surprises.

The salmonella outbreak is not the first associated with
peanut butter; a similar incident affected about 50 people
in 1996 in Australia. Peanut butter is considered an
"associated" source of salmonella contamination; this
differs from a principle source, like raw meats, poultry,
and eggs. While salmonella can show up in peanut butter,
there needs to be a source for the contamination to occur.
A study published in Journal of Food Protection in November
2006 suggested that the high-fat, low-water composition of
peanut butter was sufficient to sustain the growth of three
different types of salmonella.

What Kind of Peanut Butter Was Affected in the February
2007 Recall?

ConAgra manufactured the contaminated peanut butter.
Currently, the United States Food and Drug Administration
recommends that all Peter Pan peanut butter purchased after
May 2006 be thrown away. Wal-Mart's Great Value peanut
butter also is affected by the recall.

How Do I Know If I Ate Contaminated Peanut Butter?

Exposure to salmonella generally results in fever,
dehydration, abdominal pain, and vomiting within about 8 to
72 hours of exposure; those who display such symptoms as a
result of salmonella exposure are said to have
salmonellosis. Symptoms usually go away within four to
seven days. Those with strong immune systems often do not
need medical attention to get better. However, for
children, elderly people, and those with compromised immune
systems, salmonellosis can prove deadly.

Are There Permanent Effects of Being Exposed to Salmonella?

Those who have diarrhea as a result of salmonella exposure
usually recover completely. A small number of those who are
exposed to salmonella end up with joint pain, irritation in
their eyes, and painful urination known as Reiter's
syndrome. This can last for months or years and even can
lead to chronic arthritis.

How Can I Protect Myself and My Family From Salmonella?

Sanitizing is an important part of salmonella avoidance.
Alcohol is effective against salmonella, as is quaternary
ammonium. Salmonella lives in the intestines of animals and
generally is spread by contact with animal feces.
Salmonella that is present in the juices of raw meat and in
poultry can lead to food-borne illness and also can
cross-contaminate other foods. Food also can become
contaminated if handled by someone who has salmonella
present on his or her hands.

The feces of pets can also lead to salmonella
contamination, especially if a pet has diarrhea. Reptiles
are particularly likely to have salmonella; after handling
a reptile, people should always immediately wash their
hands. Cooking meat products thoroughly and measuring
inside temperature with a thermometer can help kill much of
the salmonella that causes illness.

If you were sickened after eating Peter Pan or Great Value
peanut butter, contact an experienced unsafe products
attorney for an evaluation. You may decide to file a Peter
Pan peanut butter recall lawsuit and recoup compensation
related to medical expenses, future medical care, and other
costs.

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Visit http://www.LegalView.com for more on salmonella
poisoning, or learn about other conditions or prescription
drug and surgical drug recalls such as the Zetia and
Vytorin, Avandia, Chantix side effects as well as the
Trasylol Aprotinin recall, which can be found at
http://trasylol-aprotinin.legalview.com/ .