This is the post I have wanted to do all term. Since I never seemed to have time to post all the things I wanted to, I am going to keep my blog past this term. So, keep in touch. I read an article years ago by Penny Moser in Discover magazine that I really loved. It started out "The force was with me. Or, rather, inside me. And it was trying to get out in a hurry." I think we have all been there! Then she proceeded to describe her bout with salmonellosis. She said that her main symptoms were headache, followed by days of "unrelenting diarrhea" Her doctor told her that she would have to "tough it out" and gave her a list of foods to eat during that time. She believed that she got her Salmonella from eggs in an egg salad sandwich that she ate in a New York deli. People, especially older people, often blame the mayonaisse in salads for causing food poisoning from Salmonella. That was true in the past when people ate home-made mayonaisse with unpasteurized eggs. That is not the case anymore. Check out these questions and answers about Salmonella infections from USDA. Salmonella has been in the news again recently with the outbreaks of Salmonella Heidelberg associated with ground turkey. Check out the descriptions from CDC.
What you have to remember is that people are more likely to get Salmonella not from undercooked meat, but by recontaminating the meat or other food after it is prepared. What stuck in my mind through the years from reading the Moser article was her comments about all the places that Salmonella could hide in your kitchen. I know most of you have heard of the dangers of using a wooden cutting board where bacteria can hide in the crevices. They can also live on an acrylic board, but you can put acrylic ones in the dishwaher. You can also kill the Salmonella by rubbing the board with one part bleach to eight parts water (rinsing with water). You should not thaw meat on the counter, not put cooked meat on the platter that held the uncooked meat, never leave any food out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (I would say not even that long), make sure your refrigerator keeps food colder than 40 F, and that hot foods at a buffet are more than 140 F.
Now the part about the sponge- dishrags and sponges are often the most bacteria-laden objects in the kitchen according to Moser. Based on this, I decided that you are doing more harm wiping your countertops with an old sponge than not wiping them at all. Thus, we could just give up wiping counters all together (my first thought) or think of a way to kill the bacteria. People have proposed "zapping" the sponges in a microwave and, according to a study reported on WebMD, two minutes in the microwave at full power killed or inactivated more than 99% of all the living germs and the bacterial spores in the sponges and pads, including E. coli. According to other sources, some sponge-zappers have claimed that their sponges have burst into flames, or sizzled and started to dissolve. So, it is strongly cautioned that only damp sponges be microwaved. This will prevent them from creating a fire hazard. The type and brand of sponge may play a factor in its microwavability. You also should not leave your sponge unattended. Others advocate cleaning sponges with bleach or using washable dishrags with disinfectance spray, or just using wipes with bleach. The issue is an important one. To keep yourself well you should pick a method that works.
I went to an awesome presentation at the ASSCLS meeting in Atlanta by Dr. Mike Miller entitled "Consequences at the Interface of Humans, Animals, and the Environment" or "101 Ways You Consume Animal Feces". He discussed a cow story (about E. coli O157:H7), a chicken story (about Campylobacter), a spinach story (also about E. coli O157:H7), a pea story (about Campylobacter acquired from eating raw peas infected by feces from sandhill cranes), a petting zoo story (E. coli O157:H7), and a pet food story (Salmonella contamination in plant producing dog food). So, now not only are you worried about eating chicken, ground beef and turkey, fish, and spinach, but you can't even suppliment your diet with dog food!
Finally, if you haven't seen the Salmonella song, refer to Courtney's blog for the link. It is really cute.
Review- which of the following pictures could be Salmonella?
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