Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsFrequent SymptomsComplicationsWhen to See a Healthcare ProviderFrequently Asked QuestionsNext in Salmonella GuideHow Salmonella Is Diagnosed
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Frequent Symptoms
Complications
When to See a Healthcare Provider
Frequently Asked Questions
Next in Salmonella Guide
Salmonellais a bacteria that can causesalmonellosis(non-typhoidal Salmonella enteritis), a common foodborne infection that causes watery diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps.The symptoms usually last about four to seven days and don’t typically require a trip to the healthcare provider, unless it affects an infant or if complications develop. Dehydration is the most common complication, and less frequent complications include blood infection and invasive salmonella infection.
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Symptoms of a gastrointestinal Salmonella infection can begin within six hours and up to four days after you are exposed.The typical incubation period is 12 to 36 hours. You will have symptoms of gastroenteritis (stomach flu).
The typical symptoms usually include:
Less frequent, but fairly commonsymptomsinclude nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and headache. Watery diarrhea can lead to further symptoms of dehydration if you don’t drink enough water to keep up with your fluid loss.
The symptoms may be more severe in young children, older people, or people who have weakened immune systems.
These symptoms usually last about four to seven days and often go away withouttreatment.However, diarrhea can continue for as long as 10 days. After recovery, your bowel habit may be changed and might not return to normal for several months.
Most types of Salmonella bacteria cause gastrointestinal disease, but Salmonella typhi is a type that causestyphoid fever,a severe flu-like illness that’s endemic to certain parts of South Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
The most frequent complication of salmonellosis isdehydration,and anyone with severe diarrhea or vomiting is at risk, especially if they are not drinking enough water or an electrolyte solution (Pedialyte or sports drinks like Gatorade) to keep up with the fluid loss.
Dehydration is more likely to occur in babies, young children, older adults, and pregnant women.
Common symptoms of dehydration:
You may also feel tired, dizzy, weak, confused, and have a headache. Severe dehydration can require emergency treatment and hospitalization.
Invasive Salmonella Infection
The bacteria can enter the bloodstream, where they can then spread to various tissues throughout the body.
Invasive salmonella infection affects about 8% of people who have confirmed salmonellosis.While this number sounds alarming, many people do not see their healthcare provider for milder cases and so their cases are never confirmed (and therefore aren’t counted in this percentage).
Invasive infections can cause:
These infections are serious and can be life-threatening.
Invasive infection is more common among high-risk groups of young children, the elderly, and people who are immunocompromised.
Antibiotic resistance has been seen forSalmonellaspecies, and this can complicate treatment for invasive infections. Your healthcare provider may need to use powerful antibiotics that can cost more and might have more toxic side effects.
Reactive Arthritis
After recovering from salmonellosis, you have a greater risk of developing reactive arthritis.The infection triggers inflammation that can result in painful joints (especially the knees, ankles, and feet), irritated eyes, or pain when urinating.
This is not common and it tends to affect people age 20 to 40. It usually will resolve in a year.
You do not need to see your healthcare provider if you have a typical case of salmonellosis without severe symptoms that improve after a few days.
High-Risk Groups
People in the high-risk groups, which include infants, children under age 5, and the elderly may need medical attention for evaluation and treatment of salmonellosis.Some pediatricians recommend that infants who have symptoms of this infection should always see the healthcare provider.
Other groups at risk of a severe infection or invasive infection include:
Signs of an Emergency
You should get emergency treatment or call 911 if you or your child has these symptoms, which can indicate life-threatening dehydration or the development of invasive salmonella infection:
Frequently Asked QuestionsA wide variety of foods have been linked to gastrointestinalSalmonellainfections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as a million cases of food-borneSalmonellainfection occur each year due to foods such as cucumbers, bean sprouts, poultry, pork, and eggs, and more. Even processed foods like peanut butter and chicken nuggets have been implicated.It may begreenishin color. This is because the infection causes stool to pass through the digestive system more rapidly than is normal, so it contains morebile(a greenish-yellow digestive fluid) than stool that moves through thegastrointestinal tractat a slower rate.Because both arefood-borne illnesses, the symptoms of each are strikingly similar: BothSalmonellaandEscherichia coli(E. coli) bacteria causewatery diarrhea(that sometimes is bloody),stomach cramps,vomiting, and in some cases, a mild fever.Salmonellainfections are considerably more common thanE. coliinfections.
A wide variety of foods have been linked to gastrointestinalSalmonellainfections. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as a million cases of food-borneSalmonellainfection occur each year due to foods such as cucumbers, bean sprouts, poultry, pork, and eggs, and more. Even processed foods like peanut butter and chicken nuggets have been implicated.
It may begreenishin color. This is because the infection causes stool to pass through the digestive system more rapidly than is normal, so it contains morebile(a greenish-yellow digestive fluid) than stool that moves through thegastrointestinal tractat a slower rate.
Because both arefood-borne illnesses, the symptoms of each are strikingly similar: BothSalmonellaandEscherichia coli(E. coli) bacteria causewatery diarrhea(that sometimes is bloody),stomach cramps,vomiting, and in some cases, a mild fever.Salmonellainfections are considerably more common thanE. coliinfections.
Salmonella: Everything You Need to Know
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella.Symptoms.U.S. National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus.Salmonella enterocolitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Salmonella.Information for Healthcare Professionals and Laboratories.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella. Questions and answers.Food Safety.Salmonellaand Food.Tan CK, Chao CM, Lai CC.Green feces.QJM. 2013 Jan;106(3):287. doi:10.1093/qjmed/hcr271MedlinePlus.E. Coli Infections.Additional ReadingSalmonella Questions and Answers. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/general/index.html.Salmonella Information for Healthcare Professionals and Laboratories. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/general/technical.html.Salmonella Infection. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/salmonella/symptoms-causes/syc-20355329.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella.Symptoms.U.S. National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus.Salmonella enterocolitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Salmonella.Information for Healthcare Professionals and Laboratories.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella. Questions and answers.Food Safety.Salmonellaand Food.Tan CK, Chao CM, Lai CC.Green feces.QJM. 2013 Jan;106(3):287. doi:10.1093/qjmed/hcr271MedlinePlus.E. Coli Infections.Additional ReadingSalmonella Questions and Answers. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/general/index.html.Salmonella Information for Healthcare Professionals and Laboratories. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/general/technical.html.Salmonella Infection. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/salmonella/symptoms-causes/syc-20355329.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella.Symptoms.U.S. National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus.Salmonella enterocolitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Salmonella.Information for Healthcare Professionals and Laboratories.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella. Questions and answers.Food Safety.Salmonellaand Food.Tan CK, Chao CM, Lai CC.Green feces.QJM. 2013 Jan;106(3):287. doi:10.1093/qjmed/hcr271MedlinePlus.E. Coli Infections.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella.Symptoms.
U.S. National Library of Medicine. MedlinePlus.Salmonella enterocolitis.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Salmonella.Information for Healthcare Professionals and Laboratories.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Salmonella. Questions and answers.
Food Safety.Salmonellaand Food.
Tan CK, Chao CM, Lai CC.Green feces.QJM. 2013 Jan;106(3):287. doi:10.1093/qjmed/hcr271
MedlinePlus.E. Coli Infections.
Salmonella Questions and Answers. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/general/index.html.Salmonella Information for Healthcare Professionals and Laboratories. CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/general/technical.html.Salmonella Infection. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/salmonella/symptoms-causes/syc-20355329.
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