salmonella

American  

[sal-muh-nel-uh] / ˌsæl məˈnɛl ə /

noun

Bacteriology.

salmonellae plural

1. any of several rod-shaped, facultatively anaerobic bacteria of the genus Salmonella, as S. typhosa, that may enter the digestive tract of humans and other mammals in contaminated food and cause abdominal pains and violent diarrhea.

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salmonella British  

/ ˌsælməˈnɛlə /

noun

1. any Gram-negative rod-shaped aerobic bacterium of the genus Salmonella, including S. typhosa, which causes typhoid fever, and many species (notably S. enteritidis ) that cause food poisoning ( salmonellosis ): family Enterobacteriaceae

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salmonella Scientific  

/ săl′mə-nĕl′ə /

salmonellae plural

1. Any of various gram-negative, rod-shaped bacteria of the genus Salmonella that cause food poisoning and typhoid fever in humans and other mammals.

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salmonella Cultural  

1. A category of bacteria that occurs in many pathogenic forms. One kind causes typhoid fever; there is evidence that other kinds cause various forms of food poisoning.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

noun

• salmonellae
  plural

Etymology

Origin of salmonella

< New Latin (1900), after Daniel E. Salmon (1850–1914), U.S. pathologist; see -ella

Explanation

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that causes food poisoning or even typhoid fever in people and their pets. If you eat something contaminated with salmonella, you’ll get cramps, diarrhea, and a fever for a few days. Yuk! Salmonella has nothing to do with salmon. It’s named after the American scientist Daniel E. Salmon (1850-1914), who isolated this type of Gram-negative enterobacteria in 1885. It's not good to eat raw eggs or meat because cooking kills bacteria such as salmonella. Salmonella also causes typhoid fever — people with typhoid fever can spread it around by accident, like Typhoid Mary did in the 1800’s, when she served food that made a lot of people sick.

Example Sentences

Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal illness in young children, elderly people or people with weakened immune systems.

From Los Angeles Times • May 27, 2026

Previously, scientists believed these systems were limited to disease-causing bacteria such as Salmonella.

From Science Daily • Mar. 27, 2026

Spring & Mulberry — an organic, direct-trade chocolate brand — has expanded its voluntary recall of Mint Leaf-flavored chocolate products to include seven additional flavors due to possible Salmonella contamination.

From Salon • Jan. 27, 2026

Not because of contamination by bacteria like Salmonella, Listeria, or E. coli, which were responsible for more than a third of food recalls last year—but due to the shellfish containing Cesium-137, a radioactive isotope.

From Slate • Aug. 21, 2025

And when the researchers took cells in the laboratory and disabled the proteasome they were far easier to infect with bacteria like Salmonella.

From BBC • Mar. 5, 2025

Related Words

• botulism