Health Tip: Salmonella Can Make You Sick

(HealthDay News) -- Salmonella is a microscopic bacterium that lives in the intestinal tracts of animals and people. An infection, usually transmitted by contaminated food, can make you quite sick.

Many raw foods contain salmonella, including uncooked chicken and other forms of poultry. But the good news is that proper cooking usually kills it, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Salmonella also can be found in beef, milk and eggs. There''s no treatment for salmonella infections, but they usually run their course in five to seven days.

To prevent them, wash your hands after preparing food, and don''t eat raw or uncooked meat or eggs. Also make sure you wash your hands after handling certain reptiles, such as small turtles sold in pet stores. The turtles'' feces often harbor the bacteria.

-- Deborah DiSesa Hirsch

Last Updated: March 22, 2006