Can You Get Salmonella Twice?

Salmonella is a serious illness affecting many people each year. Some illnesses are only suffered once, as the body builds up immunity to them. But is salmonella one of those illnesses?

Salmonella

• Salmonella is a bacteria that causes food borne illness. If you eat contaminated food or come in close contact with someone who is infected, you can contract salmonella.

How it is Spread

• Salmonella is spread when a carrier of the bacteria does not wash their hands and spreads it to food, either in the packing and shipping process or in a kitchen setting. When this food is eaten, the person gets salmonella and becomes ill. Salmonella is naturally present in raw chicken and fish. Unsanitary kitchen conditions will allow bacteria to spread from raw chicken or fish to other foods.

Symptoms

• Roughly 12 to 72 hours after infection, symptoms begin to show up. They include diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramping, fatigue and fever. Mild cases could be mistaken for the stomach flu.

Diagnosis and Treatment

• Most often, salmonella is diagnosed with a stool or blood sample, though only certain strains of the bacteria will show up with a blood test. If salmonella is present, antibiotics are prescribed. If left untreated, bacteria can spread throughout the body and hospitalization may be required. Most people will recover after a week to 10 days, sometimes even without medication. It's important to note, however, that medication is required for a full recovery.

Can You Get it Twice?

• When a person is infected with salmonella, the illness does not provide immunity to future infection. It is rare to get salmonella at all and extremely rare to get it twice, but it is possible to be infected with it more than once.