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Post by gertie on Aug 29, 2010 9:00:32 GMT
I was always told salmonella exists on the shell of the eggs of infected hens, or can get on the shell if they are laid somewhere the bacteria exists and this is why we wash eggs carefully. If properly washed and hands properly washed, there should in theory be no problem. Secondarily, it is possible to cook an egg to the temperature required to kill salmonella for the required amount of time while still maintaining a mostly runny yolk. Also, it is not necessary to refrigerate fresh eggs but you have to use them pretty quickly. All this from my great-grandma, who keep what she termed "sitting hens". You can not buy grocery store eggs and expect to keep them on the counter because you don't know when they were collected, my grandmother always said. She also always washed her eggs from the grocery and stored them in the plastic egg box in her refrigerator. She also scrubbed off melons and insisted leafy veggies such as lettuce should be separated and washed in a sink full of water. Cabbage was chopped then washed in a sink full of water. All to remove the danger of salmonella.
My understanding of infection was always that young children got things more easily because they hadn't built up antibodies, but healthy young adults could get things they had been exposed to before with strong enough exposure. Older people got it because of failing immune systems. Where an infection has come from can be very confusing, especially with the new growth of resistant species. Young children stick so many things in their mouths, or rub their hands on things and stick them in their mouths, I would think something along those lines might easily explain where it was picked up.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2010 11:17:33 GMT
This is the most sensible answer to the OP I've heard yet Gertie. I was well aware of the aspect of the baby's antibodies being not quite strong enough to conquer this virus.But,we all naturally thought it was something she was fed. She does try to put just about anything in her mouth naturally so,for an infant at that age. Goodness knows where she may have picked it up while on the road,a public bathroom perhaps,etc. Currently,the antibiotics she has been on have only been somewhat effective. We were hoping she would have improved more dramatically than she has. Last week which was week 3 had her still suffering,although,to a much lesser degree,to be sure,from diarrhea. Poor child has been through hell. They did take another stool specimen,however,it takes almost a week to get the results. We have her on a very bland diet in the meantime. I am very grateful that I have not become ill given all my contact with her.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 29, 2010 12:02:45 GMT
You can not buy grocery store eggs and expect to keep them on the counter because you don't know when they were collected, my grandmother always said. All of the supermarket eggs in France have the date they were laid printed directly on the shell. Isn't that done in other countries?
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Post by gertie on Aug 29, 2010 20:44:41 GMT
Casimira, I do hope she will be feeling better soon. Diarrhea in small children can be so difficult. When my older daughter was in her first preschool, an outbreak of diarrhea occurred at her school. My daughter suffered for a day, I took her to the doctor who called it a certain viral bug and gave her infantol pink, I believe it was called. It is a type of remedy for diarrhea stronger than anything you can buy now, they've made it practically illegal as it is an opiate derivative and according to my doctor, still might have traces. Though from the way it stopped my daughter up, I would think taking it for amusement would be out. Guess you never quite know, though. At any rate, she returned to the school and was fine, but as she had been one of the last to succumb, some of the early cases apparently were suffering re-infection by then. The school washed all the toys, shelves, tables, chairs, and what have you with a bleach solution and we never had another round. At the time the doctor told me it was probably from putting her fingers or toys at the school into her mouth.
No, they don't generally put the date on eggshells here. I think there is one brand name egg that has dates on the shell, possibly, but they are very expensive. I've read they date the shells in Japan. I find it rather odd they don't do it here, considering raw milk and almonds are illegal here and they want to irradiate everything. There was a movie a few years ago where a vaccine to prevent cancer turned the human race into some sort of misbegotten, crazed, light-sensitive animals and I thought at the time if something like that ever happens, it will probably be over irradiation or some other scheme to "make our food healthier". I find it ironic over the time we have been making so much of food safety like this, rates of cancer, heart disease, and food borne illness have skyrocketed in this country. Yup. Rates of food borne illness are now much higher than they were when we set out to make food safer by boiling all milk into white wash and inspecting things. Hm.
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Post by betsie on Sept 15, 2010 9:45:33 GMT
Salmonella scares me, chicken is riddled with it in this country, and eggs too. I am fanatical about hygene when cooking chicken and keep a separate chopping board for it, which I disinfect each time it's used. I wash the knife and my hands immediately after handling.
I had serious food poisoning as a child, so I don't want to get it again. I thought I was going to die, and felt as if I was dying.
E-coli scares me even more. I saw a documentary about it which was terrifying. An American kid got it by eating a crumb of raw mince during a barbecue on a camping trip. All his organs were shutting down and the antibiotics were just making him worse. The doctors saved his life in the end, but he remained handicapped.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 15, 2010 10:46:42 GMT
My old wooden cutting board, which I just rinse off briefly and wipe with a sponge, is probably so imbedded with bacteria that they all cancel each other out, or I wouldn't be alive anymore.
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Post by betsie on Sept 15, 2010 13:17:15 GMT
My old wooden cutting board, which I just rinse off briefly and wipe with a sponge, is probably so imbedded with bacteria that they all cancel each other out, or I wouldn't be alive anymore. Not just the cutting board but also the sponge! I trust you don't cut salad on the same board? Remind me never to eat at your place. ;D
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