Microbiology · Enterobacterales
Non-typhoidal Salmonella !
- Bacterium
- Gram-negative
- Contact
- Exam priority: medium
Salmonella from eggs, chicken and reptiles that causes diarrhea with fever; in infants, the elderly and the immunosuppressed it can enter the blood.
Updated 2026-11-01
Also called: Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhimurium
At a glance
- Gram
- Gram-negative
- Shape
- Rod
- Oxygen
- Facultative anaerobe
- Family
- Enterobacteriaceae
- Stain
- Gram: red rods
Morphology
- Motile Gram-negative rod
- Non-lactose fermenter; makes H2S
- Thousands of serotypes; Enteritidis and Typhimurium are the most common
Transmission
- Contaminated animal foods: eggs, poultry, meat and raw milk
- Contact with animals, especially turtles and other reptiles, birds and pets
- Person to person by the fecal-oral route; contact (on top of standard) for diapered or incontinent patients
Reservoir: Poultry, pigs, cattle and pets (reptiles, birds, dogs, cats)
Isolation precautions
What the care team adds to standard precautions.
- Contact
- Gown and gloves; dedicated equipment. For C. difficile, soap-and-water hand washing.
Virulence factors
- Invades ileal and colonic epithelium with a type III secretion system
- Survives in macrophages, which explains bacteremia in high-risk patients
- Acid-sensitive: antacids and proton pump inhibitors raise the risk
- LPS: fever
Diseases it causes
- Acute gastroenteritis with fever, cramps and diarrhea, sometimes bloody Acute (viral) gastroenteritis →
- Osteomyelitis, classic in sickle cell disease Osteomyelitis →
- Bacteremia and invasive infection in infants, the elderly and the immunosuppressed (HIV) Sepsis and septic shock →
Clinical picture
- Onset 6 to 72 hours after eating the contaminated food
- Diarrhea, fever, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting lasting 2 to 7 days
Diagnosis
- Stool culture on selective media (XLD, Hektoen, SS): black-centered colonies
- Blood culture if there is high fever, extreme age or immunosuppression
- Stool PCR panels
Treatment
Rehydration and electrolyte replacement. Antibiotics are not used for mild illness in healthy people because they prolong shedding and favor resistance; they are kept for high-risk patients or invasive infection (fluoroquinolones, third-generation cephalosporins or azithromycin, by susceptibility).
Drug class only; doses and regimens are set by the clinician from the current guideline.
In Pharmacology:
Prevention
- Cook eggs and poultry through; keep raw and cooked food apart
- Pasteurized milk and safe water
- Handwashing after touching reptiles or pets
- Control along the whole food chain
Test yourself
Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.
Which classic sources transmit non-typhoidal Salmonella?
Undercooked eggs, poultry and other animal products, and contact with reptiles such as turtles.
Why are antibiotics withheld in mild Salmonella gastroenteritis?
They barely shorten the illness, prolong shedding and favor resistance.
Which bone infection is linked to Salmonella in sickle cell disease?
Osteomyelitis.
Which common drugs raise the risk of salmonellosis?
Those that lower stomach acid, such as proton pump inhibitors.
Related
Related conditions
← Back to the group: Enterobacterales
Educational content on microorganisms; not a treatment guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.
Sources: Salmonella (non-typhoidal) (WHO, 2018); Fichas y Protocolos (Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS), Colombia, 2026).
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Representative model, for educational purposes only.