Infectious Diseases Foodborne Infections Salmonella What Is Salmonella Septicemia? By James Myhre & Dennis Sifris, MD James Myhre & Dennis Sifris, MD Dennis Sifris, MD, is an HIV specialist and Medical Director of LifeSense Disease Management. James Myhre is an American journalist and HIV educator. Learn about our editorial process Updated on August 23, 2022 Medically reviewed by Jenny Sweigard, MD Medically reviewed by Jenny Sweigard, MD Verywell Health's LinkedIn Jenny Sweigard, MD, is board-certified in internal medicine. She is an in-patient physician at Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center in North Carolina. Learn about our Medical Expert Board Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Overview Modes of Transmission Symptoms Diagnosis Treatment Salmonella septicemia is a condition wherein the presence of Salmonella bacteria in the blood triggers a potentially life-threatening, whole-body inflammatory response. Recurrent Salmonella septicemia is classified as an AIDS-defining condition by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) With the advent of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), Salmonella septicemia is considered rare among people living with HIV in the developed world, with one study showing only 22 cases out of 9,000 patients monitored over a nine-year period. By contrast, invasive non-typhoidal Salmonella has emerged as a major public health problem in developing countries, particularly sub-Saharan Africa. Overview Salmonella consist of a large family of bacteria which occur normally or pathogenically in the intestines of humans and other animals. Over 2,500 strains of Salmonella have been identified. What differentiates salmonellosis (often called Salmonella poisoning) from Salmonella septicemia is that salmonellosis is isolated to the gastrointestinal tract. In contrast, with Salmonella septicemia, bacterial endotoxins spread from the intestines into the bloodstream and then to other body sites, the pathogen can trigger a severe immune response. If left untreated, this can be fatal. Also Known As Salmonella septicaemiaSalmonella sepsisNon-typhoidal Salmonella septicemiaNon-typhoid Salmonella septicemiaNon-typhi Salmonella septicemiaNTS Salmonella septicemiaInvasive non-typhoidal Salmonella septicemiaInvasive non-typhoid Salmonella septicemiaInvasive non-typhi Salmonella septicemiaiNTS Salmonella septicemia Modes of Transmission Salmonella transmission usually occurs through the fecal-oral route. Animals can become infected through contaminated feed, water, or close contact with an infected host. The bacteria can then be passed to humans through tainted meat or animal products that have not been thoroughly cooked. Salmonella can also be transmitted through tainted fruits and vegetables, from animals/pets to humans, and from human to human (rare). Even after treatment, humans can remain infectious for months after recovery. Proper hygiene (including food hygiene) is recommended, particularly for those with CD4 counts under 200 cells/μL. Salmonella Septicemia Symptoms In addition to the diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramping commonly associated with salmonellosis, symptoms of Salmonella septicemia can include: High feversChillsAbdominal swellingFlushed skinIncreased heart rateConfusionHyperventilation Diagnosis Salmonella septicemia is confirmed with a blood test and/or stool tests. Treatment For HIV-positive patients with severe Salmonella septicemia, a broad-spectrum antibiotic would be administered intravenously, immediately upon diagnosis. Cipro (ciprofloxacin), a fluoroquinolone-class antibiotic, is generally recommended. In the event of fluoroquinolone resistance, cephalosporins are also known to be effective. Treatment duration can last anywhere from seven to 10 days, depending on severity. Intravenous fluids would be administered to address any fluid deficits. Maintenance therapy should continue for six to eight months after completion of treatment. With the implementation of ART, the risk of recurrence is significantly reduced. 12 Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Selik RM, Mokotoff ED, Branson B, Owen SM, Whitmore S, Hall HI. Revised surveillance case definition for HIV infection — United States, 2014. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2014 Apr 11;63(RR-03):1-10. PMID: 24717910 Burckhardt B, Sendi P, Pluger D, et al. Rare AIDS-defining diseases in Swiss HIV cohort study. Eur J Clin Microbiol Infect Dis. July 1999, 18(6):399-402. doi:10.1007/s100960050307 Gilchrist JJ, MacLennan CA. Invasive nontyphoidal Salmonella disease in Africa. EcoSal Plus. 2019;8(2):ecosalplus.ESP-0007-2018. doi:10.1128/ecosalplus.ESP-0007-2018 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Serotypes and the importance of serotyping Salmonella. Minasyan H. Sepsis: mechanisms of bacterial injury to the patient. Scand J Trauma Resusc Emerg Med. 2019;27(1):19. doi:10.1186/s13049-019-0596-4 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infection with Salmonella. Gunn JS, Marshall JM, Baker S, Dongol S, Charles RC, Ryan ET. Salmonella chronic carriage: epidemiology, diagnosis, and gallbladder persistence. Trends Microbiol. 2014;22(11):648-655. doi:10.1016/j.tim.2014.06.007 Mitiku H, Weldegebreal F, Marami D, Teklemariam Z. Nontyphoidal Salmonella bacteremia in antiretroviral therapy-naïve HIV-infected individuals at three public hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia: prevalence, antimicrobial susceptibility patterns, and associated factors. HIV AIDS (Auckl). 2019;11:23-29. doi:10.2147/HIV.S193166 Baliban SM, Lu Y-J, Malley R. Overview of the nontyphoidal and paratyphoidal salmonella vaccine pipeline: current status and future prospects. Clin Infect Dis. 2020;71(Supplement_2):S151-S154. doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa514 Crump JA, Sjölund-Karlsson M, Gordon MA, Parry CM. Epidemiology, clinical presentation, laboratory diagnosis, antimicrobial resistance, and antimicrobial management of invasive Salmonella infections. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2015;28(4):901-937. doi:10.1128/CMR.00002-15 Chirambo AC, Nyirenda TS, Jambo N, et al. Performance of molecular methods for the detection of Salmonella in human stool specimens. Wellcome Open Res. 2021;5:237. doi:10.12688/wellcomeopenres.16305.2 Chou Y-J, Lin H-W, Yang C-J, et al. Risk of recurrent nontyphoid Salmonella bacteremia in human immunodeficiency virus-infected patients with short-term secondary prophylaxis in the era of combination antiretroviral therapy. J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2016 Oct;49(5):760-767. doi:10.1016/j.jmii.2015.07.005 Additional Reading Dhanoa A, Fatt Q. Non-typhoidal Salmonella bacteraemia: Epidemiology, clinical characteristics and its association with severe immunosuppression. Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials. March 18, 2009; 8(15):e1-15. doi:10.1186/1476-0711-8-15 Morpeth SC, Ramadhani HO, Crump JA. Invasive non-Typhi Salmonella disease in Africa. Clin Infect Dis. 2009;49(4):606-611. doi:10.1086/603553 By James Myhre & Dennis Sifris, MD Dennis Sifris, MD, is an HIV specialist and Medical Director of LifeSense Disease Management. James Myhre is an American journalist and HIV educator. See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Medical Expert Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Other Helpful Report an Error Submit