According to a report by CNN in the United States, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently announced that a salmonella outbreak has recently occurred in nine Midwestern and Southern states, with nearly a hundred people infected. The cause of the "poisoning" was attributed to eating raw tomatoes purchased from supermarkets or restaurants, as salmonella was found in the examinations of patients who had eaten tomatoes.
For us, eating raw tomatoes is a very common occurrence. Why do tomatoes contain salmonella, and how can they cause large-scale "poisoning" incidents?
Director Zhao Lancai from the Department of Infectious Diseases at Xiyuan Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences explained that this may be related to the insufficiently strong ultraviolet rays in the air during the growth of tomatoes, or the presence of salmonella in the irrigation water or soil. This allows salmonella to contaminate the surface of the tomatoes. Coupled with many people's habit of eating raw tomatoes, if they are not cleaned thoroughly, a salmonella infection can easily occur.
Chief Physician Xu Chunjun from the Disease Control Department of Beijing Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine introduced that salmonella infection is a common intestinal infectious disease seen in summer outpatient clinics. It is a bacterium of the Enterobacteriaceae family, a Gram-negative bacillus, and is a pathogenic bacterium. In layman's terms, when people eat contaminated food, salmonella will multiply in the intestines.
After being infected with salmonella, the main symptoms are: fever, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and other symptoms of gastroenteritis. These usually appear 12 to 72 hours after being infected, and the illness can last for 4 to 7 days. Many people can recover without treatment, but severe cases may show symptoms of dehydration, so medical attention should be sought promptly. Children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are most at risk of severe infection.
Not just tomatoes, but other fruits and vegetables are the same. They must be fresh and not spoiled. Be sure to wash them thoroughly before eating and use clean knives. Link:
Raw tomatoes are best eaten after meals to avoid stimulating the gastrointestinal tract on an empty stomach and to prevent the formation of indigestible substances when combined with gastric acid, which can cause discomfort in the epigastric region. In addition, tomatoes are considered cooling in nature, so they are not suitable for people with a weak spleen and stomach. Unripe green tomatoes contain solanine, and eating too many can be toxic, so unripe tomatoes should not be consumed.