How Healthy Animals Transmit Salmonella Through Our Food Supply and Environment

In the complex world of food safety, one of the most challenging public health problems involves animals that appear perfectly healthy. Across farms, households, and food processing facilities, numerous animal species naturally carry Salmonella bacteria in their intestines without showing any signs of illness. These asymptomatic carriers continuously shed the bacteria through their feces, creating invisible pathways of contamination that reach into our food supply, homes, and environment. Understanding this stealthy transmission has become increasingly critical as scientists work to unravel how Salmonella causes an estimated 1.35 million human illnesses annually in the United States alone and maintains its presence in animal populations.

The phenomenon of asymptomatic carriage represents