Salmonella in eggs

[pippo]

Hi people,

 

You know how people advise to cook eggs well to "destroy" salmonella?? Well, I need to learn how Sal gets in an egg in the first place. Im guessing (UN- educated guess) that an egg when formed in the uterus is in a sterile environment (or is it the outside shell that contaminates the innards whilst cracking the egg), much like urine formed in the bladder collected from ureters is sterile. Comments/advise appreciated!!!

Edited May 28, 2010 by pippo

[CharonY]

You are right. Contamination generally occur after the egg is opened. It is also noteworthy that egg white contains lysozyme, an enzyme that cleaves the beta-glycosidic bonds between N-acetylmuramic acid and N-acetylglucosamine of bacterial cell walls.

[Rickdog]

Usually, Salmonella is an intestinal inhabitant in egg laying hens, so through its feces it contaminates the external wall during the process of ovoposition in the cloaca of the bird, which is an anatomic structure that combines within it, the rectum, oviduct and ureters of the bird.

 

The egg shell inside of the oviduct is soft, espherical and sterile, but in the contact with air, it hardens, but the surface of the shell is semipermeable with lots of pores which allows the exchange of oxigen through it, there fore it is very important not to get eggs wet, after ovoposition since through those pores the bacteria from the outside of the shell in a liquid environment, may pass through the pores and contaminate the interior of the egg. Usually egg industry, after ovopositioning, rinses the egg shells with a mild desinfectant and gives them a fast dry process to minimize this possible contamination, so most of the time the contamination with Salmonella occurs during handling of the egg and in the process of cooking preparations, by not so higienic hands (or cookers, that is, who don`t wash their hands frecuently in the manipulation of the egg shells).

[Double K]

Actually I saw a doco on this at one point.

The salmonella can get in there from lizards.

Lizards somehow lay an egg in the air sack end of the egg and this then contaminates the egg.

 

"Also, he thinks that this first of its kind discovery may also lead to some clue that may aid in explaining that occasional food poisoning in humans.

 

He said that the eggs sometimes contained salmonella, which is a potentially fatal food poisoning and is usually carried by other lizards.

 

“Maybe this happens all the time. Maybe geckos regularly crawl inside chickens for a feed. And this one was unlucky enough to get stuck in an egg,” he said. (ANI)"

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/lizard-found-inside-chicken-egg_10049925.html

[ecoli]

As a poultry owner, I can attest that chickens don't care if fecal matter comes into contact with their eggs. Wash them before cracking!

[Moontanman]

Actually I saw a doco on this at one point.

The salmonella can get in there from lizards.

Lizards somehow lay an egg in the air sack end of the egg and this then contaminates the egg.

 

"Also, he thinks that this first of its kind discovery may also lead to some clue that may aid in explaining that occasional food poisoning in humans.

 

He said that the eggs sometimes contained salmonella, which is a potentially fatal food poisoning and is usually carried by other lizards.

 

“Maybe this happens all the time. Maybe geckos regularly crawl inside chickens for a feed. And this one was unlucky enough to get stuck in an egg,” he said. (ANI)"

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/lizard-found-inside-chicken-egg_10049925.html

 

No, lizards do not lay eggs in chicken eggs, both chickens and lizards have salmonella bacteria inside them much the same way that most mammals have E. coli inside their intestines.

 

Lizards have no way to lay an egg inside a chicken egg, geckos lay eggs that are small and leathery , marble size or so depending on the species, and no way could they lay eggs inside of chicken eggs.

[Double K]

No, lizards do not lay eggs in chicken eggs, both chickens and lizards have salmonella bacteria inside them much the same way that most mammals have E. coli inside their intestines.

 

Lizards have no way to lay an egg inside a chicken egg, geckos lay eggs that are small and leathery , marble size or so depending on the species, and no way could they lay eggs inside of chicken eggs.

 

Well thats not what this article says...

Or it could be that the lizard was somehow trapped inside the egg as it formed, who knows. Otherwise how do you explain a lizard being inside an egg when it's cracked?

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/1966106/What-came-first-the-egg-or-the-gecko-inside.html

[pippo]

Funny.....the lizard in an egg thing......kinda like the Bots growing under human skin....LOL

 

Thanks guys, for all the info. Only other thing that bugs me (a pun??) is why is e coli in mammals and salmonella in birds?? Couldnt the e coli figure out it could invade ALL vertebrate intestinal tracts?