Zoonotic Transmission of Salmonella

Salmonella is transmitted mainly by the fecal–oral route: humans ingest the bacteria through food or water contaminated with feces from infected animals or people. Common sources include undercooked poultry and eggs, raw produce, and direct contact with carrier animals such as reptiles.

Salmonella is zoonotic because it is maintained in animal reservoirs and spreads from animals to humans. Poultry, cattle, pigs, and reptiles carry the bacteria in their gut and shed it in feces, contaminating food, water, and surfaces that people then contact.

The main reservoirs are food-producing animals — chickens, turkeys, cattle, and pigs — as well as reptiles and amphibians kept as pets. These animals often carry Salmonella without symptoms while shedding it in their feces.

It shows the flow of Salmonella from animal reservoirs through environmental and food pathways to a human host, including the fecal–oral route, contaminated food and water, and direct animal contact, so readers can follow each step of transmission.

Yes. The figure SciFig generates is fully editable — you can relabel reservoirs, transmission routes, and hosts, adjust the layout, and export it in publication-ready formats for your manuscript or presentation.

Person-to-person spread can occur through the fecal–oral route when hygiene is poor, but most human infections trace back to contaminated food or water originating from animal reservoirs rather than direct human contact.