Introduction
Research conducted by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has established that Salmonella majorly causes bacterial infections in the United States. The most interactive species of salmonella associated with food poisoning is Salmonella enterica . The bacterium has more than 2,200 serovars of bacteria that cause infections in humans. The most notable serovars include salmonella typhi , salmonella enteritidis , and salmonella Agbeni ( Deng et al., 2014). Diseases caused by salmonella bacterium include typhoid fever, enteric fever, gastroenteritis, and food poisoning. Salmonella enterica is gram-negative, rod-shaped, peritrichously flagellated, anaerobic bacilli that live in the gut of the infected. Health research findings have shown that infections from the bacterium affects more than 1 million Americans yearly and leads to 19,000 hospitalizations and deaths of 380 people (Den et al., 2014) .
How the Infection Spreads
Infections from salmonella enterica spread from ingestion of contaminated food or water. The bacterium originates from eating improper prepared meats and seafood, having contact with household pets containing the bacteria, disinfected raw fruits, vegetables, or on the surfaces of raw eggs. Once the bacterium is ingested after eating contaminated food or water, it penetrates the intestinal wall in the body of the infected person and multiplies itself in lymphoid tissue.
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The bacterium then enters the bloodstream and causes bacterium. According to Den et al. (2014) , food poisoning is associated mostly with serovar Salmonella enteritidis . People become infected by the bacterium after eating contaminated poultry, chicken eggs or products of chicken eggs. Salmonella bacteria can be found both on the surface and inside poultry eggs. Fecal matter is transferred on egg surfaces as hens sit on top of them to keep them warm. Eggs can be infected on the inside when the bacteria infect the ovaries of the hen before the egg forms. Most poultry farms have become unsanitary because of increased demand for poultry and poultry products. ( Bula-Rudas, Rathore, & Maraqa (2015) argue that cases of salmonellosis have been in a rise because of improper pasteurization of dairy products. The bacteria can get into water systems from human feces – especially in areas with poor sanitation – where they can infect another person and begin a new transmission cycle.
Symptoms
Symptoms of Salmonella enterica occur between 12-72 hours and lasts from 4-7 days after a person has ingested food contaminated with the bacteria. Virulence factors of the bacteria that cause symptoms on the infected person are enterotoxin, endotoxin, and cytotoxin. Cremon et al. (2014) asserts that most common and notable symptoms of salmonella infections include diarrhea, fever dizziness, vomiting, nausea, headache, bloody tools, muscle pains, and stomach cramps. Enterotoxin causes the infected body cells to release a significant amount of fluid into the lumen thereby causing diarrhea and vomiting. The endotoxin on the hand comprises toxic lipopolysaccharide which causes host cells to release endogenous pyrogens, thus making a person to experience fever.
Cytotoxin interferes with protein synthesis in the host cell thereby causing an efflux and rise of calcium ions, which in turn dislocate the cytoplasm. Infected cells are then transferred successfully to the liver of the host and multiply. Besides observation of the common symptoms, clinical testing can be used to test the presence of the bacteria. A complete blood count can be done to ascertain the iron content in red blood cells and the count of white blood cells. Low iron content and low white blood cells count in the body are signs of a possible bacterial infection. Immunological tests such as stool culture may also be done to determine the specific strain of the bacteria and bacteria proteins present ( Deng et al., 2014).
Body Damage Caused by the Infection
Infections from Salmonella enterica is not life-threatening to people with a stable immune system. However, people with a weakened immune system or underlying immune deficiencies like pregnant women, young children, and older adults can develop dangerous complications as a result of such infections. An infected person will have complications such as dehydration, salmonella bacteremia, reactive arthritis, and salmonella gastroenteritis (Le Hello et al., 2013) . Persistent diarrhea caused by salmonella infection makes a person dehydrated when the lost fluid is not replaced by drinking enough water. Dehydration affects body functions and a person may have dry mouth and tongue, sunken eyes, reduced production of tears, and decreased urine output (Cremon et al., 2014).
Salmonella bacteremia occurs when the bacterium has successfully spread into the bloodstream. Bacteremia makes it easy for the bacterium to affect organ systems and tissues k2throughout the body. Tissues infected are those surrounding the brain and spinal cord (causing meningitis), lining the heart and valves (causing endocarditis), and the bone marrow thus causing osteomyelitis. Osteomyelitis is characterized by localized pain especially when a person tries to move. Bacteremia makes a person to have decreased consciousness, lethargy, and a decrease in appetite. Bula-Rudas, Rathore, and Maraqa (2015) believe that that infected people will also have salmonella gastroenteritis because their gastrointestinal tract becomes affected. As a result, the infected will exhibit bloody diarrhea, painful abdominal cramps, and anemia (in severe cases). Infected persons are also at a higher risk of developing reactive arthritis (Reiter’s syndrome). A person that develops reactive arthritis will have body effects such as eye irritation, painful, and painful joints.
Modes of Action of Antibiotics (Chloramphenicol)
Treatment of Salmonella infections can be done using antibiotics when symptoms are severe. The most commonly used medicines for treating such infections are amoxicillin, chloramphenicol, ceftriaxone, and cefotaxime. Each antibiotic has a different and unique mechanism of action that it applies to kill the bacteria. Chloramphenicol, being bacteriostatic, inhibits the bacteria to synthesize proteins. The antibiotic interacts with bacteria ribosome to inhibit its function. According to Wilson (2014), the antibiotic interacts with the 50s ribosome, a subunit of the 70s ribosomes of the bacteria to prevent it from forming peptide bonds. After chloramphenicol is administered either orally or by injection, it inhibits peptidyl activity transferase of the bacterium thus preventing the ribosomes from performing protein chain elongation. Inhibiting protein synthesis will prevent the bacterium from carrying out its day-to-day functions such as catalyzing enzymatic reactions, making critical physical structures, and sensing and passing on signals (Wilson, 2014) . The bacterium will eventually die, and the infected person will become healed.
References
Bula-Rudas, F. J., Rathore, M. H., & Maraqa, N. F. (2015). Salmonella infections in childhood. Advances in pediatrics , 62 (1), 29-58.
Cremon, C., Stanghellini, V., Pallotti, F., Fogacci, E., Bellacosa, L., Morselli-Labate, A. M., ... &k8Corinaldesi, R. (2014). Salmonella gastroenteritis during chk2ildhood is a risk factor for irritable bowel syndrome in adulthood. Gastroenterology , 147 (1), 69-77.
Den Bakker, H. C., Allard, M. W., Bopp, D., Brown, E. W., Fontana, J., Iqbal, Z., ... & Strain, E. (2014). Rapid whole-genome sequencing for surveillance of Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis. Emerging infectious diseases , 20 (8), 1306.
Deng, X., Desai, P. T., den Bakker, H. C., Mikoleit, M., Tolar, B., Trees, E., ... & Wiedmann, M. (2014). Genomic epidk8emiology of Salmonella enterica serotype Enteritidis based on population structure of prevalent lineages. Emerging Infectious Diseases , 20 (9), 1481.
Le Hello, S., Harrois, D., Bouchrif, B., Sontag, L., Elhani, D., Guibert, V., ... & Weill, F. X. (2013). Highly drug-resistant Salmonella enterica serotype Kentucky ST198-X1: a microbiological study. The Lancet infectious diseases , 13 (8), 672-679.
Wilson, D. N. (2014). Ribosome-targeting antibiotics and mechanisms of bacterial resistance. Nature Reviews Microbiology , 12 (1), 35.
