Salmonellosis: Other than Typhoid Fever/Paratyphoid Fever

Reportable by Providers and Laboratories

About this Reportable Disease

Infectious agent: Non-Typhi serotypes of Salmonella enterica bacteria, most commonly Enteritidis, Typhimurium, Newport and Javiana

Description of illness: Symptoms typically include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramps and fever. Nausea, vomiting and headache sometimes occur. Infected persons excrete Salmonella bacteria in their stool throughout the course of illness, usually several days to several weeks

Interactive Disease Data

Laboratory Reporting for this Disease

Salmonella species

TEST NAME	Salmonella species
DISEASE/DISORDER	Diarrheal disease
ALTERNATE NAME(S)	Enteric pathogens, stool culture, aerobic bacterial stool culture, Salmonella stool culture
METHODOLOGY	Culture
SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS	Isolate or specimen submission required Contact CEDEP if foodborne outbreak is suspected
ORDERING INFORMATION	TDH DLS Requisition: PH-4182 Clinical Submission Requisition

Specimen Requirements

Patient Preparation	Medications: Do not use barium or bismuth before collection of specimen
Specimen Collection	Stool - C&S Culture Transport Media (i.e. ParaPak) - Semisolid or liquid transport media (i.e. Cary Blair or Amies) - Commercially available transport system specific for recovery of enteric pathogens from fecal specimens Isolate - Pure cultures
Specimen Labeling	Specimen must be labeled with at least two unique patient identifiers and match accompanying PH-4182 Clinical Submission Requisition.
Specimen Processing	None
Specimen Storage and Preservation	Stool specimens should be stored at 2-30°C and arrive at the laboratory within 4 days of specimen collection. If possible, refrigerate at 2-8°C. Isolates should be stored at ambient conditions and submitted within 2 weeks of isolation.
Specimen Transport	Ship stool specimens at 2-30°C with cold packs. If possible, maintain at 2-8°C. Ship isolates at ambient temperature. All infectious substance shipments must conform to U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Hazardous Materials Regulations (HMR 49 C.F.R. Parts 171-180).
Specimen Acceptability and Rejection	Specimens that do not adhere to all specimen requirements will be rejected.
Testing Location	Nashville

Laboratory Reporting

Reporting requirements apply to all laboratories located within Tennessee, as well as laboratories outside of Tennessee that test residents of Tennessee, including laboratories located within healthcare facilities. Healthcare providers and laboratories in the same healthcare facility both have a duty to report. The type of organisms and analytes laboratories must report to TDH for 2026 are indicated, and there are several ways laboratories can report results to TDH.

Manually report results to TDH by faxing or mailing a completed PH-1600 form to your local health department, or faxing to the state health office at (615) 741-3857
Automatically submit results to TDH via electronic laboratory reporting (ELR), which automates the process of sharing data with TDH using interoperability standards.
- See the ELR Onboarding Handbook for details on the onboarding process, checklist, frequently asked questions, business rules, message format, and vocabulary.
- To initiate the ELR onboarding process with TDH, register in the Trading Partner Registration (TPR) system TPR provides documentation for Promoting Interoperability (PI) attestation and milestone letters to document onboarding progress. Contact MU.Health@tn.gov for assistance.
Submit online via NBS. NBS is TDH's reportable disease system. To request an NBS account for reporting Complete this user survey to request an NBS account for reporting.
Blood lead levels can be sent via fax ( (615) 741-3857), entered online, or reported using the instructions at this link.

Information about this Reportable Disease for Healthcare Providers

Clinical Summary

“Salmonellosis (other than typhoid/paratyphoid)” refers to nontyphoidal Salmonella enterica infections (non-Typhi serotypes). Common serotypes include Enteritidis, Typhimurium, Newport, and Javiana.
Typical illness is acute gastroenteritis with diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramps, and fever; nausea, vomiting, and headache may also occur.
Transmission is usually foodborne (contaminated foods), but can also occur from contact with animals or their environments; evaluate exposures and consider outbreak linkage when multiple cases occur.
Diagnosis is by stool testing (culture and/or CIDT). CDC emphasizes obtaining culture when possible to support antimicrobial susceptibility testing and public health investigations.
Management is mainly supportive (rehydration); antibiotics are reserved for selected patients (e.g., severe disease or higher-risk patients) and should be guided by susceptibility when available due to resistance concerns. Salmonellosis is reportable in Tennessee for surveillance and outbreak response.

Clinical Links & Info

Clinical information about this disease | CDC

Review the case definition | CDC

Access the case report form (2019) | TDH

Healthcare Provider Reporting

Healthcare reporting requirements apply to all providers located within Tennessee, as well as providers whose patients reside in Tennessee.

Providers must report cases of all diseases and conditions listed through one of these methods:

• Mail or fax a completed PH-1600 form to your local health department or fax to the state health office at (615) 741-3857

• Send automatically via electronic case reporting (eCR). See this TDH webpage for more information on eCR, register at the Trader Partner Registration website, or contact MU.Health@tn.gov for assistance.

• Submit online via NBS. NBS is TDH's reportable disease system. To request an NBS account for reporting Complete this user survey to request an NBS account for reporting.

• Blood lead levels can be sent via fax ( (615) 741-3857), entered online, or reported using the instructions at this link.

Information about this Reportable Disease for the Public

What Is It

Nontyphoidal Salmonella infection (salmonellosis) is an illness caused by Salmonella bacteria (not the types that cause typhoid or paratyphoid fever).

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms often include diarrhea (sometimes bloody), stomach cramps, and fever. Some people also have nausea, vomiting, or headache.

How It Spreads

Salmonella most often spreads through contaminated food and can also spread from contact with animals or their environments (including some pets) if germs get on hands and then into the mouth.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Healthcare providers can diagnose salmonellosis with stool testing. Most people recover without antibiotics; treatment typically focuses on fluids to prevent dehydration. Some people may need antibiotics or hospital care depending on severity and risk factors.

Prevention

Prevention includes safe food handling (cook foods thoroughly, avoid cross-contamination, wash hands and surfaces) and careful hand hygiene after contact with animals, pet food, or animal habitats.

This Page Last Updated: March 25, 2026 at 8:53 PM