Salmonellosis

Follow-up stool cultures among patients who have had Salmonella gastroenteritis are generally not warranted and may be positive for several weeks, because patients may carry Salmonella in their gastrointestinal tracts after the acute infection. The mean duration of carriage is 4 weeks, but is often longer (7 weeks) among neonates and children, and has not been well studied in immunocompromised patients.[130]Buchwald DS, Blaser MJ. A review of human salmonellosis: II. duration of excretion following infection with nontyphi Salmonella. Rev Infect Dis. May-Jun 1984;6(3):345-56. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6377442?tool=bestpractice.com

Chronic carriage of the organism may occur in <1% of cases and is asymptomatic. Screening is typically not recommended unless local health departments or other similar agencies specifically require this testing.