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Salmonellosis

Information for Local Health Departments

ā€‹Salmonellosis is one of the most common gastrointestinal infections reported in the U.S., with approximately 5,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of salmonellosis reported per year in California. However, there may be many more undiagnosed cases of salmonellosis in people who did not seek medical care or did not submit fecal specimens for testing.

Most salmonellosis cases appear to be sporadic rather than outbreak-related. In recent years, California patients have been involved in Salmonella outbreaks due to contaminated eggs, poultry, peanut butter, ground beef, and a variety of fresh produce, including onions, cucumbers, coconut, papayas, and mangoes. Non-food vehicles, such as turtles, live poultry, bearded dragons, and pig ear dog treats, have also caused widespread outbreaks of illness.

Healthcare providers are required to report cases of salmonellosis to the local health department (LHD) within one working day of identification. Clinical laboratories are required to submit clinical Salmonella isolates to a local public health laboratory or the California Department of Public Health Microbial Diseases Laboratory for definitive identification. Per California Code of Regulations, Title 17, LHDs may need to restrict the activities of persons with salmonellosis from certain work or activities (such as food handling, health care, or day care) until they have been examined and cleared by their LHD. All patients with salmonellosis should be educated regarding disease transmission and appropriate infection control measures.

Interviewing Patients

  • It is important to interview patients as soon as possible after they are identified for more accurate recall of food and other exposures.

  • Please use the CDPH Salmonellosis case report form (CalREDIE tabs or CDPH 8640 PDF in the CalREDIE Document Repository).


For detailed information about reporting and salmonellosis case investigation guidelines, please see:

CDPH Infectious Diseases Branch (IDB) Guidance for Managing Salmonellosis (Nontyphoidal) (PDF)

Updated March 2020


Data and Statistics
 

  California Data


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