Salmonellosis is an infection caused by Salmonella bacteria. The acute symptoms may include nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea, fever, and headache. Typically, symptoms develop 12 to 72 hours after ingestion of contaminated food. Most individuals infected usually recover without treatment after four to seven days. As with many foodborne pathogens, young children, the elderly, and the immuno-compromised are most likely to be affected by Salmonella infections.
Depending on factors such as age and health, the infective dose has been estimated to be as low as 15 to 20 cells for some strains.
In a small percentage of cases, persons infected with Salmonella can develop chronic, long-term problems associated with the illness. Reactive arthritis may begin three to four weeks after onset of acute symptoms, and the arthritic symptoms can be debilitating and last for six months or more.
