Salmonella Treatment in TEOTWAWKI

Disclaimer.  I am not a licensed health practitioner.  This is just another post on knowledge and understanding you might wish to acquire in advance of a disaster in case no higher care is available.  As long as our society is functioning, you should leave anything more substantial than applying a Band-Aid to the professionals.  No medication, including those available over the counter, should be taken without consulting a physician.  Information shared here is for educational and entertainment purposes only.  It is not medical advice nor a substitute for licensed medical care. 

 
There are just two species of Salmonella:  Salmonella enterica and Salmonella bongori; the latter,  being found only in reptiles, won't be further discussed.  Salmonella enterica has six subspecies and over 2,600 serotypes that are found in all warm-blooded animals and in the environment all over the world.  Non-typhoidal serotypes spread from animal to human and human to human and cause some salmonellosis infections that are usually resolved without antibiotics.  (Many of the non-typhoidal serotypes that occur in sub-Saharan Africa cause paratyphoid fever and thus require immediate antibiotic treatment, but as they are not of much concern to us they won't be discussed further.)

Today's article is limited to those non-typhoidal serotypes that cause food poisoning.

These non-typhoidal serotypes are the source of many cases of food poisoning, up to 1.5 million each year in the US alone.  Those most at risk for severe illness include infants, the elderly, the immunocompromised, and organ transplant recipients.  Foods most commonly infected include pork and chicken, sprouts and vegetables, and eggs, that latter accounting for 150,000 illnesses each year.(1)  Other foods that may be contaminated with salmonella include nut butters, fruits, and processed foods. 

Not only can salmonella bacteria survive outside a host for years, they also survive boiling, freezing, and frying.  An egg must be fried hard or boiled for nine minutes to kill the bacteria.(2)

Salmonella illnesses are best prevented by frequent and thorough handwashing, especially after any contact with animals, using the toilet, or helping someone else use the toilet or change a diaper.  

Symptoms of salmonella food poisoning include diarrhea (possibly with blood), fever, and stomach cramps.  Nausea, vomiting, and a headache may also occur.  Symptom onset usually begins from six hours to four days after consuming the contaminated food and can last from four to seven days.  Antibiotic treatment is reserved for severe cases and those at greatest risk for serious complications.  Rarely, salmonella may enter the bloodstream and cause sepsis.  In this situation, prompt treatment with antibiotics is essential.

If a doctor determines that antibiotics are warranted, commonly prescribed antibiotics are Zithromax (azithromycin) or Levaquin (levofloxacin), each 500 mg once per day for seven to ten days.  Cipro (ciprofloxacin) and doxycycline may also be suggested.

While pharmaceuticals are reserved for only the most severe cases of Salmonella food poisoning, there are a number of alternative remedies that may be utilized to bring prompter relief and to conserve antibiotic supplies.  These include:

• colloidal silver
• activated charcoal
• Japanese barberry
• Japanese honeysuckle
• juniper needle
• honey
• sagebrush
• pomegranate peel and rind
• oregano
• thyme
• ginger
• licorice
• echinacea

The latter three should not be used alone, but rather in conjunction with other herbs.  Loperamide should not be administered if salmonella food poisoning is suspected.  Loperamide works to keep fluids in the body; the salmonella bacteria need to get out of the body for the patient to recover.


Links to related posts:
Typhoid fever
Ciprofloxacin
Doxycycline
Japanese Barberry
Japanese Honeysuckle
Juniper
Oregano
Pomegranate  
Thyme

Endnotes:
(1)  Stephen Buhner, Herbal Antibiotics, p 67.
(2)  Stephen Buhner, Herbal Antibiotics, p 28.

For further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salmonella
Survival and Austere Medicine, 3rd Edition, p 151.
https://www.cdc.gov/salmonella/general/prevention.html

 04.08.2020