What is Salmonella?
Salmonella bacteria cause approximately 1.35 million casesopen_in_new of gastrointestinal illness, 26,500 hospitalizations, and 420 deaths in the United States each year. Most of these infections cause the foodborne illness known as salmonellosis. Salmonella typhi and Salmonella paratyphi cause typhoid fever and paratyphoid fever, respectively.
Where is it Found?
What Does it Infect?
How Does it Spread?
Preventing the Spread of Salmonella
Salmonella can spread by the following means:
- Eating contaminated foodopen_in_new or drinking contaminated water
- Touching infected animals, their feces, or their environment
- Touching contaminated surfaces (such as countertops, cutting boards, diaper changing tables, and toilets) and then not properly washing your hands afterwards
Regular hand hygiene and surface disinfection are important preventative measures. Since this bacterium can be found in contaminated water, proper water purification is a vital component in preventing the spread of Salmonella. Since household wellsopen_in_new can be a source of Salmonella infection, they should be tested regularly and properly maintained. Pools and other recreational water sources should be properly disinfected. These bacteria can also be spread through foodopen_in_new — either due to poor hand hygiene of food handlers or because raw produce is irrigated or washed with contaminated water. Wash all fruits and vegetables well under running water and cook meat thoroughlyopen_in_new.
Get More Protection with UV Disinfection
In addition to the above preventative measures, Germicidal Ultraviolet (UV-C) water disinfection can inactivate Salmonella in well water, swimming pools and hot tubs, drinking water, and food prep water.
Restaurants, retailers, and meat processing facilities will benefit by adding UV-C surface disinfection to their regular sanitizing procedures. Another benefit is the ability to operate as usual during a boil water alert. Shop our products at AtlanticUltraviolet.comopen_in_new.
Learn about these applications:
View all UV-C Application Pages.
Our germicidal lamps produce ultraviolet wavelengths at 254 nanometers, the region of maximum germicidal effectiveness. Read our FAQ blog post to learn more. See dosage data below.
Salmonella: Classification & Germicidal UV Dose for Inactivation
| Organism: | Alternate Name: | Type: | Disease: | UV Dose*: |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salmonella enteritidis | S. enteritidis | Bacteria | — | 7.60 mJ/cm2 |
| Salmonella paratyphi | S. paratyphi | Bacteria | Enteric Fever | 6.10 mJ/cm2 |
| Salmonella typhimurium | S. typhimurium | Bacteria | — | 5.70 mJ/cm2 |
| Salmonella typhi | S. typhi | Bacteria | Typhoid Fever | 7.0 mJ/cm2 |
* Nominal germicidal UV dosage necessary to inactivate better than 99% of microorganism.
People at High Risk for Contracting an Infection
While anyone can contract a Salmonella infection, certain groups of people are more likely to develop disease:
- Children under 5 years old
- Infants (children younger than 12 months) who are not breast-fed
- People 65 years and older
- Those with weakened immune systems
- People taking certain medicines (like stomach acid reducers)
Salmonella Symptoms:
Most people infected with Salmonella experience the following symptoms. Some people also have nausea, vomiting, or a headache:
- Diarrhea (that can be bloody)
- Fever
- Stomach cramps
Symptoms usually start within 6 hours–6 days after infection and last 4–7 days
Sources on Salmonella:
The above information can be found on the following pages.
- FDA: Salmonella (Salmonellosis)open_in_new
- CDC: Four Steps to Food Safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, Chillopen_in_new
- CDC: Foods That Can Cause Food Poisoningopen_in_new
- CDC: Healthy Swimming – Backyard Poolsopen_in_new
Dosage Sources
- James E. Cruver, Ph.D., “Spotlight on Ultraviolet Disinfection”, Water Technology, June 1984.
- Dr. Robert W. Legan, “Alternative Disinfection Methods-A Comparison of UV and Ozone”, Industrial Water Engineering, Mar/Apr 1982.
- Myron Lupal, “UV Offers Reliable Disinfection”, Water Conditioning & Purification, November 1993.
- Bak Srikanth, “The Basic Benefits of Ultraviolet Technology”, Water Conditioning & Purification, December 1995.
- Sensitivity of Bacteria, Protozoa, Viruses, and Other Microorganisms to Ultraviolet Radiation. Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Volume 126, Article No. 126021. August 20, 2021.
Learn More, Shop & Contact Our Specialists
Since 1963, we’ve been engineering and manufacturing germicidal ultraviolet equipment to neutralize harmful microorganisms in water, in air, and on surfaces. Visit these helpful pages:
Shop at AtlanticUltraviolet.com
- Shop UV-C Water & Liquid Disinfectionopen_in_new
- Shop UV-C Air & Surface Disinfectionopen_in_new
- Shop STER-L-RAY® UV-C Lampsopen_in_new
- Shop Safety Productsopen_in_new
Contact Us
- Call (631) 273-0500, Monday – Friday 7am to 6pm EST
- Email Sales@AtlanticUV.com
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