Among infectious diseases, the most dangerous is salmonella - the symptoms in adults are similar to those observed in children. If you do not react in time to the alarm signals that are given by the body and do not start treatment, the consequences can be terrible.
How is salmonella infection more likely?
Sources of infection can be birds, people and any warm-blooded animals. Especially dangerous in this case are pigs and cattle. In these animals, the bacteria that provoke the disease do not necessarily cause the development of this disease. However, pigs and cattle are more often carriers of the disease. Salmonella infection occurs due to the consumption of meat or milk that has not been properly heat treated.
In addition, the spread of the infection can be birds. A person will become infected if he eats meat that has undergone insufficient heat treatment. You can get infected if you drink raw or eat an incompletely boiled egg. Especially dangerous is the yolk. Salmonellosis symptoms in adults will start immediately. In addition, rodents, pets, pigeons, sparrows and other "urban" birds can infect this disease.
Pathogen of salmonellosis
This ailment is caused by gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria. They belong to the genus Salmonella. In diameter, these bacteria can reach 1.5 μm, and in length - 5 μm. The duration of their life depends on the environment:
- outside the host organism, bacteria retain their properties for a week;
- in the dust of the room they can survive for another 3 months;
- in the reservoirs, the life of Salmonella persists for 120 days;
- in infected meat, deep-frozen bacteria can live up to a year;
- in the milk of Salmonella continue to exist from 10 (in the warmth) to 20 (in the refrigerator) days;
- The vital activity of these harmful microorganisms in butter remains 4 months;
- In the egg, the bacteria live up to a year, and on the shell - about 20 days.
The ideal temperature for active reproduction of salmonella is + 37 ° C, so the human body is considered an excellent incubator. Intensive reproduction of harmful microorganisms occurs even in the refrigerator. In this case, during the heat treatment in the infected product, the bacteria continue to live for a time. For example, in meat salmonella perishes at a temperature of + 70 ° C and only after 10 minutes after the beginning of cooking. For this reason, the products must be subjected to sufficient heat treatment.
How is salmonella transmitted?
There are different ways of infection. Salmonella in humans can appear in one of the following ways:
- Fecal-oral route - through food, water, dust, in which bacteria are found from the dried droppings of infected living organisms.
- By contact - use of common utensils, personal hygiene items, poorly disinfected medical instrument and so on.
- Transfer of bacteria by parasites - flies, cockroaches. More often outbreaks occur during the hot season.
If we consider salmonellosis in more detail, the symptoms in adults are manifested in severe form in such patients:
- suffering from anemia;
- after intestinal dysbiosis ;
- with low secretion of gastric juice;
- on the background of inflammatory pathologies.
Salmonellosis - incubation period
The duration of this stage in each case is individual. The incubation period lasts from 6 hours to several days. After contact with the carrier of salmonellosis, infection can occur at such rates:
- lightning - symptoms are observed almost immediately after infection (gastrointestinal variety of the disease);
- within 40 days after infection - this intensity is characteristic of the typhoid-like form of the disease;
- carriage of infection - the symptoms do not appear, but the person himself is dangerous to others.
Salmonellosis - Diagnosis
During the first visit of the patient, the doctor will ask him in detail about complaints and well-being. After a visual examination, the specialist will refer the person who applied to him for an additional examination. Analysis for salmonellosis includes a study:
- feces;
- urine;
- blood;
- washing water;
- vomit.
Before you pass the feces for salmonellosis, you need to prepare accordingly. 3 days before the study, it is necessary to stop taking medications aimed at enhancing intestinal peristalsis. In addition, 2 days prior to the assay, patients are excluded from the patient's prescription medications that can stain stool. The investigated material must be fresh. This increases the reliability of the results obtained.
Symptoms of salmonellosis in an adult
Symptoms vary depending on the variety of the disease. Signs of salmonella in adults with gastrointestinal form of the disease manifest themselves as follows:
- severe pain in the navel;
- white coating on the tongue ;
- diarrhea (stool with mucus and foam);
- vomiting;
- tachycardia;
- lowering blood pressure;
- a metabolic disorder;
- chills;
- body temperature + 39 ° С;
- headache.
Tiphoid-like salmonella symptoms in adults are as follows:
- flatulence;
- increased spleen and liver;
- rashes on the skin;
- a brownish hue of the tongue;
- fainting and hallucinations;
- general signs of malaise.
Septic salmonellosis symptoms in adults have these:
- yellowness of the skin;
- pustules on the body;
- severe sweating;
- chills.
Temperature at salmonellosis
This is one of the main characteristics of the disease. With mild illness, the temperature is subfebrile. In other words, it does not rise above + 38 ° C. With severe disease, its rates may increase to + 39 ° C. How much the temperature keeps in salmonellosis, depends on the form of the ailment, its degree and the immunity of the patient. More often the feverish state observes 3-4 days.
Cal at salmonellosis
In this infectious disease, stools can be watery or mushy. They are plentiful, foamy. Often painted in a brown-green color. Often in feces observed obedient mucus and blood (feces becomes a shade of "meat slops"). In terms of frequency, these signs of salmonellosis occur:
- with a mild form of ailment - up to 5 times a day;
- in the case of moderate severity of the disease - up to 10 times a day;
- in severe form - up to 20 times a day.
Salmonellosis - treatment
After receiving the results from diagnostic studies and visual examination of the patient, the doctor selects the optimal therapy regimen. In the middle and severe stages of the disease, as well as the prolonged course of the illness of the person who has addressed, they are hospitalized. With mild illness, therapy can be carried out at home under the supervision of a doctor.
Here's how to treat salmonella with medications:
- For rehydration Glucosolan, Regidron or Citroglucosolane is used;
- when parenteral therapy is used Chlosol or Trisol;
- when dehydrated, a glucose solution is injected intravenously;
- among the sorbents Smecta and activated carbon are used;
- more often appoint such biological products - Lineks, Bactisubtil, Hilak forte;
- antispasmodics are used such - Papaverin and No-shpa;
- With antidiarrheal therapy, Indomethacin is often prescribed.
After salmonellosis, special nutrition is prescribed. The diet includes the use of the following foods:
- Cooked on the water porridge (rice, buckwheat or semolina);
- low-fat fermented milk products;
- kissels;
- lean fish and meat (boiled);
- mashed potatoes (on water and without oil);
- crackers;
- blended mixtures of apples, bananas and carrots.
Salmonellosis - antibiotics
Most strains of harmful microorganisms are resistant to antibacterial drugs. For this reason, the drugs of this group are used only in extremely severe cases - when salmonellosis symptoms in adults are full. Irrelevant use of antibiotics is dangerous to health. Such drugs inhibit the excretion of toxins and bacteria that spread them. As a result, salmonellosis symptoms are manifested in adults with even greater scope, which indicates an intensified intoxication of the body.
In general, this medication is prescribed in two divided doses. At the first stage, treatment of salmonellosis in adults with antibacterial agents is performed 3-5 days after the onset of symptoms. Medications are administered intravenously or intramuscularly. When it is possible to reduce intoxication, the patient is transferred to the reception of antibiotics in a tablet form. The duration of each therapeutic stage is 7 days. When diagnosed with salmonella in adults, the following antibiotics are prescribed:
- Ceftriaxone;
- Norfloxacin;
- Levofloxacin;
- Ciprofloxacin.
Serum against salmonellosis
In the fight against this disease, medications with an antitoxic effect are used. These preparations are made from fractions of multiply immunized animals. In the blood they have the maximum content of antibodies. The finished serum undergoes conservation, which allows preserving its activity and initial properties. When Salmonella is diagnosed, treatment with adults in this group should be done with caution. They are administered slowly intravenously.
Consequences of salmonellosis
The most common complication in this disease is dehydration. In addition, there may be a weakening of immunity and a violation of microflora. Salmonellosis in adults often provokes more serious consequences. The most dangerous are such complications:
- cerebral edema;
- pneumonia;
- heart failure;
- pancreatitis;
- reactive arthritis;
- infectious-toxic shock;
- peritonitis;
- infection of the ovaries;
- death.
Prophylaxis of salmonellosis
Preventive measures help protect against infection. Prevention is aimed at thermal processing of food and compliance with basic hygiene rules.
To prevent a disease salmonellosis will help such actions:
- You can not buy food that has expired.
- The meat should be well cooked or fried.
- Drink better boiled milk.
- To work with meat and fish, different knives and cutting boards should be used. If this is not possible, the surfaces and tools should be thoroughly washed and sprinkled with boiling water.
- It is necessary to abandon the Gogol-Mogul.
- Ready meals should only be stored in the refrigerator.
- It is advisable to refuse snacks in places of public catering. Such a tragedy is especially dangerous in the summer.
- Before consumption, fresh vegetables and fruits should be thoroughly rinsed.
- Be sure to wash your hands before eating, after going to the toilet and walking outside.