Did I just give my family salmonella?

[Aapomp831]

So, can someone please explain bc the internet isn’t giving me any answers... do all chickens naturally carry salmonella, so eating undercooked poultry or a “bad egg” always lead to salmonella poisoning - or does the chicken have to happen to be a carrier of it? Does my question make sense... I want to know where it comes from.... and if it’s automatically in every chicken. I don’t understand.

 

[aart]

So, can someone please explain bc the internet isn’t giving me any answers... do all chickens naturally carry salmonella, so eating undercooked poultry or a “bad egg” always lead to salmonella poisoning - or does the chicken have to happen to be a carrier of it? Does my question make sense... I want to know where it comes from.... and if it’s automatically in every chicken. I don’t understand.

I think it occurs naturally, but depends on how much load they carry.
More likely to be in feces than eggs.....why kids get it from cuddling/kissing chicks and not washing before the hands go in the mouth.
Gets on meat from improper slaughtering practices.
There are also more than a few strains of salmonella, some far worse than others.
I can't cite any of this, just what I remember from reading about outbreaks,
especially the big outbreak in a west coast processing plant back in 2013(?).

 

[Allsfairinloveandbugs]

From what i understand, any chicken CAN carry salmonella, but that doesnt mean all chickens DO carry it. Salmonella is a naturally ocurring bacteria just like other bacteria in the soil. As other posters confirmed, it is killed by cooking. But even if your family had eaten the previously refrigerated eggs raw, they wouldnt have gotten salmonella unless the bacteria was already in/on the egg. Cooking eliminates any possibility.

 

[BY Bob]

So, can someone please explain bc the internet isn’t giving me any answers... do all chickens naturally carry salmonella, so eating undercooked poultry or a “bad egg” always lead to salmonella poisoning - or does the chicken have to happen to be a carrier of it? Does my question make sense... I want to know where it comes from.... and if it’s automatically in every chicken. I don’t understand.

First let me say, I am a microbiologist.

Not all chickens carry salmonella. It is possible to have a flock where it is not present. For example a few years ago I had a sick hen and I needed to have her stop checked. Since I was having her stop checked, for curiosity sake, I had her tested for salmonella as well. Below is her report. You will note that she was negative for salmonella.

This is most likely to occur in small backyard flocks.

In the egg and poultry industry salmonella is endemic. That is why one must be especially careful when handling the meat and eggs.

Understand that you must always assume that your flock has salmonella. I still do despite the negative test. Patsy could have picked it up the next day. Simple handwashing is your best defense and try not to kiss your chickens.

 

[Aapomp831]

First let me say, I am a microbiologist.

Not all chickens carry salmonella. It is possible to have a flock where it is not present. For example a few years ago I had a sick hen and I needed to have her stop checked. Since I was having her stop checked, for curiosity sake, I had her tested for salmonella as well. Below is her report. You will note that she was negative for salmonella.
View attachment 2418254

This is most likely to occur in small backyard flocks.

In the egg and poultry industry salmonella is endemic. That is why one must be especially careful when handling the meat and eggs.

Understand that you must always assume that your flock has salmonella. I still do despite the negative test. Patsy could have picked it up the next day. Simple handwashing is your best defense and try not to kiss your chickens.

I know but they’re so cuddly!!!! Ok I won’t....
What does endemic mean?

 

[BY Bob]

I know but they’re so cuddly!!!! Ok I won’t....
What does endemic mean?

I'm sorry. That means that it is always present. They can't eliminate it. You have to assume that your meat always has salmonella present.

 

[Aapomp831]

I'm sorry. That means that it is always present. They can't eliminate it. You have to assume that your meat always has salmonella present.

Gotcha!!! Thank you. I work in a restaurant as a second job and when people believe they have undercooked chicken they go it’s and start taking about salmonella and I always wondered.... (not that I work in a bad restaurant, I’ve just been doing it for 20 years so it’s bound to happen from time to time). Thank you for the response, the internet just kept telling me how to avoid it. I wanted to know where it came from and that pretty much summed it up!

 

[The Happster]

Try not to kiss your chickens.

Guilty.

 

[BY Bob]

Something else to remember about salmonella, it is rarely fatal. It causes diarrhea and sometimes cramps but unless you are susceptible to dehydration for either a pre-existing condition or are elderly / very young, you are likely to think that you have an intestinal virus of some kind.

 

[cmom]

I had wondered this too so did some research. Salmonella is one of the most common types of food poisoning caused by bacteria. It usually means stomach cramps and diarrhea that lasts four to seven days. Salmonella is more common in the summer than the winter. There are lots of sites that give the recommended cooking temperatures for foods for killing the bacteria.