[Durgical](https://durgical.com/en/) › [DurgiPedia](https://durgical.com/en/durgipedia/) › [Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) › [Enterobacterales](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/enterobacterales/) › Non-typhoidal Salmonella

[Microbiology](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/) · [Enterobacterales](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/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

## Key points

- Eggs, chicken and turtles: non-typhoidal Salmonella.
- Needs a large inoculum; stomach acid protects, proton pump inhibitors raise the risk.
- Salmonella osteomyelitis in sickle cell disease.
- Antibiotics only for high-risk or invasive cases; otherwise they prolong carriage.
- Non-lactose fermenter that makes H2S, like Proteus.

## 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 →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/acute-gastroenteritis/)
- Osteomyelitis, classic in sickle cell disease [Osteomyelitis →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/osteomyelitis/)
- Bacteremia and invasive infection in infants, the elderly and the immunosuppressed (HIV) [Sepsis and septic shock →](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/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:

- [Ceftriaxone](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/ceftriaxone/)
- [Ciprofloxacin](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/ciprofloxacin/)
- [Azithromycin](https://durgical.com/en/pharmacology/azithromycin/)

## 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

## In Colombia

It is a frequent agent in foodborne disease outbreaks reported to SIVIGILA (INS).

## Memory aid

"Egg, chicken and turtle": breakfast, lunch and the family pet that bring Salmonella home.

## 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.

[Add to my cards (4)](https://durgical.app/estudiar/?add=/en/microbiology/non-typhoidal-salmonella/)

## Related

- [Salmonella Typhi](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/salmonella-typhi/)
- [Campylobacter jejuni](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/campylobacter-jejuni/)
- [Shigella](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/shigella/)

## Related conditions

- [Acute (viral) gastroenteritis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/acute-gastroenteritis/)
- [Osteomyelitis](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/osteomyelitis/)
- [Sepsis and septic shock](https://durgical.com/en/conditions/sepsis-and-septic-shock/)

## What the colours mean

**Gram-positive**
Thick peptidoglycan wall: stains purple.

**Gram-negative**
Thin wall with an outer membrane: stains pink.

**Acid-fast**
Lipid-rich wall (mycobacteria): Ziehl–Neelsen stain.

**Contact**
Gown and gloves; dedicated equipment. For C. difficile, soap-and-water hand washing.

**Droplet**
Surgical mask within about a metre; single room.

**Airborne**
N95 respirator and a negative-pressure room.

[← Back to the group: Enterobacterales](https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/groups/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)](https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/salmonella-(non-typhoidal)) (WHO, 2018); [Fichas y Protocolos](https://www.ins.gov.co/buscador-eventos/Paginas/Fichas-y-Protocolos.aspx) (Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS), Colombia, 2026).

## **Spotted a mistake?** We are always improving for the community. Tell us what is wrong and our team will review it. Report a mistake

Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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Source: https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/non-typhoidal-salmonella/
License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Cite as: DurgiPedia (durgical.com), https://durgical.com/en/microbiology/non-typhoidal-salmonella/