The Utah Coalition for Food Safety is a group comprised of representatives from government, academia, and industry that are involved with and interested in food safety. At that time, very low levels were reported in the mountain states including Utah. Regrettably, Utah now has a high incident of SE and in 2000, the majority of the salmonella cases reported in the state were S. enteritidis. The high incidence of S. enteritidis in Utah is related to improperly cooked eggs, Brennand reports. Even eggs with clean, uncracked shells may occasionally contain bacteria called Salmonella that can cause an intestinal infection.
Vulnerable individuals are more likely to become ill and to have more serious symptoms.
Gastroenteritis caused by Salmonella is characterized by abdominal cramps and diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, fever, and headache. Most of the time, the patient recovers in 1 to 2 days. Complications include meningitis, septicemia, Reiter syndrome and death. Consumers can decrease their risk of foodborne illnesses by following recommendations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration when handling eggs, she adds. Buy eggs only if sold from a refrigerator or refrigerated case.