Study on the Epidemiology of Salmonella of Human and Animal Origin in Punjab

Abstract

Salmonella by virtue of having more than 2000 serotypes an extremely large group of gram-negative bacilli (Linton, 1982). Majority of these are ubiquitous in nature and pathogenic to both man and animals. Severity of the disease caused by Salmonella depends upon environmental conditions, level of contamination and break down in the resistance of the host. Salmonellosis is zoonotic in nature and a widely spread of food borne health hazard throughout the world. Recognizing the importance of salmonellosis as a major zoonotic problem, it was included in the commonest zoonosis since 19950 by WHO and FAO. The type of disease with which these organisms are associated is either enteritis or septicemia. In man sal. Typhi and three enteritis of Sal. Para typhi give rise to enteric fever, a disease characterized by a fairly large incubation period Abd predomince of septicemia. A few other species such as sal. Beldon, sal. Sanai and sal enteritidis may also give rise to a disease resembling enteric fever. Most serotypes, however, produce acute gastroenteritis food poisoning type in children and adults or acute enteritis in infants. Nevertheless, a disease apparently starting as enteritis may become a septicemia which runs typhoid like course or is associated with localized manifestation of disease in the meninges, joints, bones, etc. Salmonellosis is a health hazard in animals too. Salmonellae have been isolated from all species of animals including buffalos, cattle, sheep, goat, camel, dogs, cats, horses, chickens, pigs, rats, ducks, turkeys as well as certain cold-blooded animals and insects. Some of he serotypes have a fairly high degree of specificity. For example, Sal. Cullum is responsible for aside spread disease in chicken known as bacillary white diarrhea. Similarly, Sal. Typomania are bound in almost every animal and on occasions may give rise to severe gastro-enteritis and symptoms of generalized illness. This usually mode of transmission is farcical-oral route. The heathy animals picking up infection, may suffer from any one of the SALMONELLOSIS SYNDROES, and the survivors usually become carrier or may suffer a relapse of disease or may excrete organisms intermittently in the faces, urine or milk, thus contaminating new pastures and environmental and spreading the disease to others. The present work was taken in hand t understand the epidemiology of salmonellosis in the area; the prevalence of salmonellae in relation t different species of animals, the carrier status within and between these species and tissue organ f predilection of salmonellosis with in the animals’ body. This would help to identify the sources and foci of infection in human s well as animals. Such as information would be enabling us formulate recommendation foo minimizing the spread of infection by concerting efforts on the most during transportation, storage and handling of meat and meat products at butcher and consumer level,