Reading the case study of ​Salmonella in the Caribbean​ by investigators Lisa

Indar-Harrinauth, et al has been an eye-opening experience. The in-depth and succinct

background on what ​Salmonella​ truly is was very informative. The term ​Salmonella​ is used in
everyday vernacular, but most people use it hand in hand to paint the picture of food poisoning. I
doubt that a large portion of the general populous could articulate that the illness is actually
termed “Salmonellosis” and is caused by ​Salmonella​ bacteria. Not only was the case study
informative on the origin of ​Salmonella​ but also how to identify it in terms of breakouts or
isolated cases. Though it is difficult to accurately report the cases of Salmonella as not all
patients seek medical care when they experience a ​Salmonella​ infection, it was interesting to see
how serotyping can trace if contamination occured from the same source if there is a large
outbreak.
The surveillance of salmonellosis in the Caribbean is a great example of the transition
from medical care of an individual to public health concerns that require epidemiology to root
out the source and implement education and safety practices. The development of the
surveillance system requires high sensitivity, high positive predictive value, and timeliness. The
tracking of salmonellosis in Trinidad was very thorough with a large volume of statistics tracked
throughout the years. With the backlog of information extrapolation of rates of infection could be
predicted and extrapolated to a true estimate based off laboratory-confirmed infections. The
isolated culprit of Salmonella enteritidis serotype. In analysis children 0-4 years of age are at the
highest risk of infection and the seasonality indicated that infection was more prevalent in
December and January as well as March and April. It was really interesting to see the
sociological reasoning behind the reasons for the peaks in December and January. From
analyzing the food sources from which individuals contracted salmonellosis, the egg based
products that are eaten in increased volume around the holiday season was the culprit.
Developing insight into what risk factors and protective factors are can go a long way
with preventing or mediating a potential or current outbreak. Control measures can also further
prevent more infections from occuring. In this case of salmonellosis it was being more
knowledgeable and proactive about care for eggs. For example, keeping eggs refrigerated and
eating promptly after cooking. The analysis of the eggs themselves in Trinidad was fascinating.
The in-depth nature of the study was thorough and complete. Eggshells and egg contents alike
were examined and inspected for contamination, whether it was by external fecal contamination
or transovarian transmission. The prevalence of ​Salmonella​ in shell culture as more than in the
content cultures, comparatively at 4.6% to 1.2%. The implementation of food safety practices at
egg-producing farms could decrease the outbreak of ​Salmonella​. Prevention and control of
outbreaks could be moderated by food safety policies and public health education of consumers.
Not only do individuals have the power and knowledge to protect themselves but policies and
awareness implemented on a business level can also mitigate outbreaks.