Salmonella - what is it? Salmonellosis: symptoms, treatment

Salmonellosis is a disease of an infectious nature that is caused by bacteria and is characterized by intoxication and lesions, mainly of the stomach and intestines.

Causes

The bacterium belongs to the rod-shapedgram-negative bacteria from the genus Salmonella, the family of Enterobacteria (salmonella, shigella). The microbe is resistant to the environment. In the water it survives up to six months, in the soil up to eighteen months. Salmonella is common in meat and milk. What is it - oversight, poor-quality storage or processing - is not important. The infectious principle is not only preserved, but also capable of reproduction. The taste of products and appearance does not change. Smoking, salting, freezing of food does not lead to the death of an infectious disease.

The source of the disease is a person who is ill ora carrier of bacteria, as well as poultry and animals. Infection can occur with the use of 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 the reservoirs, 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 metropolitan areas. Elderly people and children are more susceptible to it because of low resistance to the causative agent of the disease.

Development of the disease

Once in the stomach with the intestine, the bacteriumSalmonella reaches the small intestine, where it is captured by the cells of the epithelium and penetrates the mucous membrane. Here, it multiplies, causing inflammatory changes in the mucosa, and the bacteria spreads further into the blood and lymph nodes. As the obsolete Salmonella died, there is a constant intoxication of the body. Violated microcirculation of blood, transportation of ions, which leads to a sharp release of water and electrolytes into the lumen of the intestine from the cells.

Symptomatology

The incubation period is from six hours toeight days. At this time the agent does not show itself in any way. Then the disease comes into full rights, like salmonella, the symptoms appear the following: the temperature, dizziness, weakness, headache, chills rise sharply. The patient grumbles and swells up his stomach, pains in him, appetite decreases, there is a loose stool (maybe with an admixture of mucus and fetid), vomiting, nausea.

The doctor examining the patient in which he settledsalmonella, the symptoms will reveal the following: lowering blood pressure, increasing heart rate, dehydration (skin elasticity is reduced, mucous membranes are pale and dry, the amount of urine decreases, thirst, hoarseness, some muscles can be convulsively contracted), the spleen and liver are enlarged, the skin and sclera is icteric.

Sometimes the disease can take a severe septicform, when secondary purulent foci begin to form in different organs (in the liver, soft meninges, lymph nodes, gall bladder, aorta, lungs, endocardium, joints, bones).

Complications, most commonly found in this disease - infectious-toxic shock, hypovolemic shock, acute renal failure.

Bacteriogenesis

This form of the disease is characterized by the fact thatno clinical manifestations in humans are observed, but salmonella (photo) is found in serological and bacteriological studies. All bacterial carriers can be divided into such categories: acute carriage, chronic and transient.

Acute is observed among the reconstructed species and is characterized by the release of a microbe from the host organism for a period of fifteen days to three months.

Chronic carriage is implied whenSalmonella is excreted for more than three months. What is it, confirms compulsory observation for six months and a re-examination of duodenal contents, urine, feces.

Transient bacteriocarrier meansthe absence of clinical signs at the time of the examination and the previous three months, and bacteriological tests gave a positive result one to two times with an interval of one day with negative results in the future.

Diagnostics

It is possible to find out which disease is involved,collecting epidemiological data (salmonella in eggs and other foods, the group nature of the disease). The laboratory receives confirmation by resorting to specific methods of research.

Bacteriological study. From the washing waters of the stomach, urine, blood, bile, vomit, feces, salmonella is allocated. What is it is - and confirms the study.

The indirect hemagglutination reaction, the agglutination reaction, the complement fixation reaction, is determined by the antibody titer to the pathogen in the blood serum.

From the nonspecific methods of laboratory diagnosis, a general blood test is used.

Differential diagnostics

To distinguish this infection is from escherichiosis anddysentery, typhoid and cholera, food poisoning with poisons of animal or vegetable origin, inorganic and organic substances, appendicitis and myocardial infarction.

Therapy

Once salmonella is isolated, treatment shouldbe the following: the stomach is washed with two, three liters of water or a 2% solution of sodium hydrogencarbonate. The patient is assigned a diet, which includes food, sparing the gastrointestinal tract both mechanically and chemically. When Salmonella is found, treatment involves the mandatory restoration of the fluid level in the body and the amount of electrolytes.

With mild illness and dehydrationrehydration is done orally (through the mouth) with drugs "Gastrolit", "Regidron", "Citroglukosalan" and other electrolyte solutions. You can use a sugar-and-salt solution, which is prepared by adding to the one liter of boiled water eight teaspoons of sugar and two teaspoons of table salt. The total volume of fluid for replenishment should be equal to the volume of lost liquid with feces and water.

If the disease and / or dehydration are takingheavy form, then they resort to intravenous administration of polyionic solutions (Ringerlactate, Chlolol, Acesol, Trisol, Quartasol). The solution is administered at a certain rate and in a certain volume, which depends on the degree of fluid loss and the level of dehydration of the body.

To destroy the pathogen itself, one of several antibacterial drugs is used: "Ofloxacin", "Norfloxacin", "Ciprofloxacin", "Ceftriaxone".

To reduce the degree of intoxication of the body, resort to the help of enterosorbents: "Polysorb", "Polyphepan", "Enterosorb", "Enterodesis".

To restore electrolyte balance, disturbed by the disease, drugs "Bismuth subsalicylate", "Sandostatin", "Imodium", "Acetylsalicylic acid", "Indomethacin"

Also, the patient needs to take drugs,which increase the nonspecific resistance of the organism and restore the normal intestinal microflora (eubiotic bacterial agents, vitamins, antioxidants). The patient can be discharged after complete clinical recovery and confirmation by a bacteriological study of the absence of a pathogen in the feces.

Prevention

Preventive maintenance of disease consists inmandatory veterinary and sanitary control over the slaughter of poultry and livestock, compliance with all rules and technologies for carcass processing, proper transportation, storage, sale of food. There is a vaccine, which includes inactivated salmonella. That this prevents the disease of birds and pets is known to everyone. Survey of workers of children's institutions and food enterprises also helps prevent disease.