According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Salmonella is a bacteria that infects the intestinal tract and causes extreme sickness in humans. The illness people get from a Salmonella infection is called salmonellosis. Salmonellosis can last 4 to 7 days, with symptoms appearing 12 to 72 hours after infection. Most people recover without medical treatment however salmonellosis can lead to hospitalization due to dehydration or an infection in the blood stream. In some cases, Salmonella can lead to death.

The CDC estimates Salmonella causes about 1.2 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations, and 450 deaths in the United States every year. The majority of these cases are linked to contaminated food sources.