salmonella

sal·mo·nel·la

noun \ˌsal-mə-ˈne-lə\

: a kind of bacteria that is sometimes in food and that makes people sick

plural sal·mo·nel·lae\-ˈne-(ˌ)lē, -ˌlī\ or sal·mo·nellas or sal·mo·nella

Full Definition of SALMONELLA

:  any of a genus (Salmonella) of usually motile enterobacteria that are pathogenic for humans and other warm-blooded animals and cause food poisoning, gastrointestinal inflammation, typhoid fever, or septicemia

Origin of SALMONELLA

New Latin, from Daniel E. Salmon †1914 American veterinarian

First Known Use: 1913

Other Microbiology Terms

pathogen, tetanus

Rhymes with SALMONELLA

a cappella, Cinderella, citronella, columella, fraxinella, mortadella, mozzarella, panatela, subumbrella, tarantella, villanella

sal·mo·nel·la

noun \ˌsal-mə-ˈnel-ə\   (Medical Dictionary)

Medical Definition of SALMONELLA

1

capitalized : a genus of aerobic gram-negative rod-shaped nonspore-forming usually motile bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae that grow well on artificial media and form acid and gas on many carbohydrates but not on lactose, sucrose, or salicin, that are pathogenic for humans and other warm-blooded animals, and that cause food poisoning, acute gastrointestinal inflammation, typhoid fever, and septicemia

2

plural sal·mo·nel·lae \-ˈnel-ē\ or sal·mo·nellas or sal·mo·nella : any bacterium of the genus Salmonella

Biographical Note for SALMONELLA

Salm·on \ˈsam-ən\ , Daniel Elmer (1850–1914), American veterinarian. For the greater part of his career Salmon was associated with the United States Department of Agriculture, having joined the department to investigate diseases of domestic animals, especially Texas fever. He later founded and became chief of the Bureau of Animal Industry. In 1900 the genus Salmonella of bacteria was named after him.

salmonella

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Any of the rod-shaped, gram-negative, non-oxygen-requiring bacteria that make up the genus Salmonella. Their main habitat is the intestinal tract of humans and other animals. Some of the 2,200 species exist in animals without causing disease; others are serious pathogens. Any of a wide range of mild to serious infections caused by salmonellae are called salmonellosis, including typhoid and paratyphoid fever in humans. Refrigeration prevents their reproduction but does not kill them; as a result, many salmonellae can develop in foods, which, when eaten, can cause gastroenteritis. Chickens are major reservoirs of salmonella, and chicken and eggs are the principal source of human poisoning, whose symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, chills, and painful headaches. Other food sources include unpasteurized milk, ground meat, and fish.