salmonella

noun

sal·mo·nel·la ˌsal-mə-ˈne-lə

plural salmonellae ˌsal-mə-ˈne-(ˌ)lē

-ˌlī

or salmonellas or 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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Just over the past year, there have been several multistate salmonella outbreaks. —

Jen Christensen, CNN, 18 Jan. 2023 In 2021, for example, fresh onions imported from Mexico were identified as the source of a salmonella outbreak across at least 37 states. —

CBS News, 30 Dec. 2022 Backyard flocks have been connected to at least 1,200 people getting sick with salmonella, Benedict said. —

Jen Christensen, CNN, 18 Jan. 2023 Healthy people infected with salmonella often experience fever, diarrhea (which may be bloody), nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. —

Marcia Greenwood, USA TODAY, 28 Dec. 2022 Healthy people infected with salmonella can experience fever, diarrhea, vomiting and other symptoms. —

Kate Gibson, CBS News, 7 Dec. 2022 The industry has been unable to meet government targets for reducing food-borne salmonella infections for a couple of decades. —

Time, 14 Oct. 2022 The overall drop was mostly due to a decline in salmonella infections, said lead author Dr. Jennifer Collins, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC. —

Adrianna Rodriguez, USA TODAY, 7 Oct. 2022 On average, salmonella infections cause 27,000 hospitalizations and 420 deaths every year. —

Yoni Heisler, BGR, 28 Oct. 2021 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'salmonella.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1913, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of salmonella was in 1913

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Salmonella.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/salmonella. Accessed 29 Mar. 2023.

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Kids Definition

salmonella

noun

sal·mo·nel·la ˌsal-mə-ˈnel-ə

plural salmonellae -ˈnel-ē

-ˌī

or salmonellas or salmonella

: any of a genus of rod-shaped bacteria that cause various illnesses (as food poisoning) in human beings and other warm-blooded animals

Medical Definition

salmonella

noun

sal·mo·nel·la ˌsal-mə-ˈnel-ə

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

plural salmonellae -ˈnel-ē

or salmonellas or salmonella : any bacterium of the genus Salmonella