Salmonella tifimurium - causative agent, diagnosis, treatment

The bacterium Salmonella tifimurium is known in medicine as Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium. It is a gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium with flagella (violet hair-like structures), through which this microorganism moves.

The named bacterium is the main cause of food poisoning (salmonellosis) in humans. It is infected most often with pork, poultry meat, eggs. Pets can also transmit it.

How are salmonella classified?

So, we are interested in salmonella tifimurium - the causative agent of such a dangerous ailment as salmonella. The species salmonella enterica has 6 subspecies:

• Enterica;
• Salamae;
• Arizonae;
• Diarizonae;
• Houtenae;
• Indica.

The subspecies of salmonella enterica enterica include the following serogroups:

• A (paratyphi A).
• B (derby, typhimurium, agona, heidelberg).
• C (cholerae suis, newport, muenchen, virchowinfantis).
• D (dublin, enteritidis, rostock, sendai, typhi).
• E (anatum).

Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium)

The appearance of enterica is considered to be pathogenic for humans and animals, as well as for birds, but only a few of them are most significant for humans. And most cases of salmonellosis occur in S. typhimurium.

Many strains of salmonella are resistant to modern antibiotics, and therefore spread all over the world. So, hospital-acquired salmonellosis is a serious problem at present. And in 80% of cases the causative agent of nosocomial (nosocomial) salmonellosis is S. typhimurium.

Pathogenicity factors

The course and danger of this disease is caused by the following factors of pathogenicity:

• Flagellar fast movement of the microorganism is ensured.
• The bacterium protects against bacteria from phagocytes. And because of the inferiority of phagocytosis, sepsis develops.

• The peculiarity of the invasion makes its penetration unhindered in the deep-lying tissues.
• Due to good adhesion (attachment), provided by fibrils, pectins, LP-saccharide complex, the bacterium is retained in the body.
• Exotoxins (products of its vital activity) form diarrhea with further dehydration, rapid vascular permeability.
• Endotoxin stands out against the background of destructive phagocytosis. It is a lipopolysaccharide complex that forms intoxication. Aggregation of platelets in small capillaries leads to inflammation, the DIC syndrome is observed. And the secretion of Na and Cl leads to a reduction in smooth muscles and an increase in the intestinal peristalsis.

How resistant are bacteria?

Salmonella tifimurium have resistance to various environmental factors:

1. For three months they are stored at room temperature with household items.
2. Four years are stored in dry faeces of animals.
3. Five months - in the water, half a year - in dairy products and meat, on the eggshell - for up to a month.
4. Death occurs only at 100 ° C. In meat products, resistance to high temperatures increases (half a kilo of meat should be boiled for two hours, only after that it will be safe). With the help of salting and smoking, Salmonella can not be killed.
5. This agent can withstand a temperature drop of -80 ° C.
6. It is UV-resistant.
7. The disinfectant is required to stand for 20 minutes to destroy the bacterium.

Outbreaks of salmonellosis are observed in the summer, more often diagnosed in young children due to imperfections in their immune system.

Pathology is transmitted by alimentary tract, also contact and contact-household. By the way, it is important when using eggs to pay attention to the kind of protein and yolk. With turbidity, hemorrhage, rotten smell, the egg is most likely infected. It must be discarded, the dishes filled with chlorine, and their hands also processed. Soap does not help in these cases.

Winter outbreaks, high lethality and a contact-household transmission mechanism occur for reasons of antibiotic resistance and because food supplies are centralized.

The incubation period

The incubation period lasts from six hours to eight days, but most often the first symptoms appear already in the first day or two after eating an infected product.

There is a violation of water-salt metabolism due to diarrhea, the stool becomes watery, foamy, offensive, with greens resembling "swampy silt", with frequency up to ten times a day, for a week or more.

The disease begins acutely, characterized by weakness, lethargy, mild abdominal pain (epigastric region and navel). The abdomen is painful on palpation, rumbling and noticeably swelling.

Salmonella Tifimurium - laboratory diagnostics

The following indicators influence the diagnosis:

• Increased ESR;
• Leukocytes with a shift to the left;

The causative agent is found from biological media (feces, blood, urine, affected organs) and suspicious products by a bacteriological method. The final result, as a rule, is ready for the fifth day.

When infecting salmonella tifimurium, the symptoms are as follows:

• fever;
• chills;
• Severe diarrhea;
• Vomiting.

Treatment

This ailment can have a lethal outcome in infancy, in the elderly, as well as in individuals with reduced immunity. This is also dangerous salmonella tifimurium.

The treatment consists in using antibiotic therapy and rehydration. Also prescribe antispasmodics, enzyme preparations, sorbents, antidiarrheal agents. The diet "Table №4" is shown.

Therapy should be performed under the strict supervision of a physician, and in severe cases, resuscitative measures are used. From sorbents for detoxification of the body it is expedient to use the following drugs:

• Enterosgelya;
• "Liferana";
• Activated carbon;
• Smecta;
• "Entereroids."

With frequent incessant vomiting, it is absolutely necessary to call an ambulance to prevent dehydration. The patient, as a rule, is assigned "Regidron". Increased fever is reduced by antipyretics.

Salmonella active against salmonella enterica antibiotics

Antibacterial agents that are active against salmonella salmonella enterica are Furazolidone, Ciprofloxacin, Rifaximin, Nifuroxazide. But they can be prescribed only by the attending physician, selecting an individual dosage and taking into account the condition of the patient infected with salmonella tifimurium.