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There are two main species: Salmonella bongori and Salmonella enterica,
and the latter has six subspecies.
One of the subspecies is enterica, which has over 2500 serotypes that can be
divided into two main groups based on the clinical symptoms they cause- so
typhoidal or non-typhoidal Salmonella.
The non-typhoidal group, can infect humans and animals and cause a variety
of disease states.
And have flagella, making them motile, but don’t form spores.
Now, once Salmonella is ingested and reaches the distal ileum of the small
intestine, it tends to target the epithelial layer of the mucosal lining where it
uses surface appendages to adhere to microfold cells, or M-cells.
And these M-cells eat, or phagocytose, the bacteria from the intestinal
lumen and spit it out into the underlying Peyer’s patches - a type of mucosal
immune tissue that extends into the submucosa.
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When encountering non-typhoidal Salmonella, the immune system responds
strongly by releasing proinflammatory cytokines that recruit additional
immune cells, particularly neutrophils.
Responding immune cells can also damage the mucosa as they travel to the
site of infection.
This can cause ulcers; and gastrointestinal tract dysfunction that leads to an
efflux of water and electrolytes into the intestinal lumen, which causes
diarrhea.
But, in some cases, the infection can become invasive, gaining access to
nearby blood vessels, causing bacteremia.
From the bloodstream, the bacteria can spread to other organs like the brain,
bones, liver, or spleen.
Finally, the infection can also spread through direct contact with infected
animals, if contaminated hands then reach the mouth.
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But certain factors; like being a young child, an older adult, having low gastric
acidity, or being immunocompromised can cause an elevated risk of infection
and development of invasive, complex cases.
Dehydration may also occur if fluid loss from diarrhea has not been
replenished.
Summary
So, to recap: Salmonella is a rod-shaped, gram-negative bacteria of the
Enterobacteriaceae family.
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After ingestion, Salmonella tends to infect M-cells of the small
intestine epithelial mucosa, which transfer the bacteria to the underlying
Peyer’s patches.
Diagnosis can be made with a stool culture, and treatment is typically fluid
and electrolyte replenishment, especially in uncomplicated or non-invasive
cases.
Summary
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