Unfortunately, these foods, like all raw foods of animal origin, may carry salmonella and other bacteria. The good news is that these bacteria don't have to call illness. Routine food safety practices can destroy salmonella and other bacteria, and prevent outbreaks of the illnesses they can cause. The Salmonella family of bacteria includes about 2000 different strains, but only 10 strains cause salmonella infections in humans. They are commonly found in the intestinal tracts and waste of livestock, poultry, dogs, cats, rats, birds, and other warm-blooded animals.
Illness occurs if sufficient numbers of live salmonella bacteria enter our bodies through food.
The number of salmonella on a raw food may be fairly low and do not increase if the food is properly refrigerated. But careless food handling practices can give bacteria a chance to multiply. For example, if a knife used to cut up raw poultry is used to cut up lettuce for salad without first being washed, the lettuce can be contaminated by any bacteria that may have been on the meat. Since the lettuce is not cooked before eating, the person who eats the lettuce will also eat the bacteria. Once they are in the small intestine, the bacteria can multiply, and cause illness that includes diarrhea, upset stomach, chills, fever or headache.