New Page Salmonella food poisoning Salmonella bacteria cause many outbreaks of food poisoning and can cause death, especially in the very young and very old. These outbreaks are usually linked with eating contaminated food Most outbreaks of salmonella food poisoning in humans and animals are caused by Salmonella enteritidis and Salmonella typhimurium . More than 2000 different types of Salmonella have been found, but just two cause most outbreaks of food poisoning in humans Salmonella typhimurium . The long thin filaments are known as flagella. They wave about until they touch a suitable cell in the intestine when they stick to that cell and the bacterium becomes engulfed.
Salmonella infections occur in all farm animals and in most wild animals.
Many salmonellas grow in the gut of their host, but some are able to escape into the blood stream to develop in other sites. In the chicken, for instance, Salmonella enteritidis can infect the ovary and thus contaminate eggs before they are laid. The types of Salmonella that are most associated with food poisoning caused through eating contaminated poultry do not cause disease in the bird. Contaminated birds cannot be easily identified therefore. The animal feed can be made safer by heat treatment during its manufacture in order to kill the bacteria.