Signs and Symptoms:

A salmonella infection generally causes nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever, and headache. Because many different kinds of illnesses can cause these symptoms, most doctors will take a stool sample to make an accurate diagnosis.

Symptoms of most salmonella infections usually appear within 3 days of contamination and typically go away without medical treatment.

In cases of typhoid fever caused by salmonella bacteria, early symptoms are the same. But in the second week, the liver and spleen can become enlarged, and a distinctive "rose spotted" skin rash may appear. From there, the infection can cause other health problems, like meningitis and pneumonia.

People at risk for more serious complications from a salmonella infection include those who:

• Have compromised immune systems (such as people with HIV)
• Take cancer-fighting drugs
• Have sickle cell disease or an absent or nonfunctioning spleen
• Take chronic stomach acid suppression medication

In these higher-risk groups, most physicians will treat an infection with antibiotics to prevent it from spreading to other parts of the body and causing additional health problems.