Strategies to control food poisoning salmonella in poultry products.

Abstract

Food poisoning is a generic term applied to illnesses acquired through consumption of food or water. This is due to intoxication caused by chemical contaminants (heavy metals and others) toxins produced by bacterial growth. Food poisoning outbreaks are usually associated with the occurrence of illness within a short time after consumption; among a number of persons who may have consumed the same foodstuffs. Salmonella is a gram-negative bacteria infection characterized by diarrhea, abdominal pain, headache, and sometimes vomiting. Fever is almost always present. The infection may localise giving rise to arthritis, cholecystitis, endocarditis, meningitis, pericarditis, pneumonia, pyoderma or pyelonephritis. There are approximately known 2.000 serotypes, most of which are pathogenic for both animals and man. The prevalence of the different serotypes vary from country to country. Worldwide and extensively reported in North America and Europe. Only a small proportion of cases are recognized clinically, and as few as 1% of clinical cases are reported. Salmonellae are extremely widely distributed in the animal kingdom, including livestock, pets, other wild animals, poultry and other birds, reptiles, amphibians and also humans. Most infected animals are chronic carriers. By ingestion of the organisms in food derived from infected food animals or contaminated by faeces of an infected animal or person. The infection is transmitted to animals by animal feeds and fertilizers prepared from contaminated meat scraps, tankage, fishmeal and bones.