Contaminated eggs have infected 207 people with salmonella across the UK, killing one and hospitalising 34. Eggs imported into Britain and eaten in cafes and restaurants were the source, the UK Health Security Agency has said. The outbreak has prompted public concern.
But what is salmonella, and are eggs safe to eat? There are over 2,500 different types of salmonella bacteria,” said Dr Malick Gibani, a clinical associate professor at Imperial College London. Most disease in the UK is caused by just a few of those 2,500 types.
They are usually found in contaminated animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs. But chocolate, peanut butter and cucumbers have also been at the centre of previous UK outbreaks. Salmonella can be spread by contaminated drinking water, contact with animals, person-to-person spread or poor food hygiene and preparation, “particularly when cooked food comes into contact with contaminated and undercooked or raw foods”, said Gibani.
Storing food poorly, which allows the bacteria to replicate, and not cooking contaminated foods thoroughly are also risks. Salmonella causes an infection of the gut – gastroenteritis – and that leads to food poisoning. Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and a fever, though some people also feel very tired and suffer sore muscles and joints.
Symptoms can appear within a few hours to a few days. Gibani said: “Salmonella can be unpleasant for a few days. In most cases, people will get better without any treatment, but in some instances antibiotics might be needed, particularly in vulnerable groups.
Antibiotics are usually only needed when there’s a severe bloodstream infection, but thankfully this is pretty rare in healthy adults in the UK.” Children and older adults, people whose immune systems are suppressed, perhaps because they are taking chemotherapy drugs for cancer, and those with underlying health conditions can be more severely affected. Scientists aren’t sure why. But, Gibani said, the fact that such groups are hit more severely shows that “there’s definitely an immune component which influences severity”.
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