Introduction: Have you ever made cookies and started consuming a piece of delicious cookie dough? Stop! Cookie dough contains raw eggs and may contain a bacteria called Salmonella enteritidis, which causes an infection called salmonellosis. This microbe is found in contaminated food, water and animals carrying the disease. This microbe has been known for more than a hundred years to cause gastrointestinal diseases. S. enteritidis was discovered by Theobald Smith, but was ultimately named after his assistant Daniel Elmer Salmon. He is considered the first American scientist of international renown. His work in epidemiology and bacteriology showed a bacterial species in pigs which led to the discovery of the bacteria S. enteritidis. Microbial characteristics: Enterobacteriaceae are anaerobic, Gram-negative and are rod-shaped bacilli. They have tail-like projections made of proteins that help bacteria move, called flagella. “Gram-negative bacteria do not retain the crystal violet dye used in the Gram stain method due to the fact that they have thin cell walls. Gram-negative bacteria are often harmful to a host, which is the case with many S. enteritidis bacteria. S. enteritidis bacteria are 2 to 5 micrometers long and 0.7 to 1.5 micrometers in diameter” (5). There are two types of Samlmonella bacteria: serotype typhimurium and serotype enteritidis. These two types are most common in the United States. Salmonellosis is more prevalent in summer than in winter because warmer temperatures lead to a higher risk of food spoilage. Salmonellosis kills around four hundred people each year due to the onset of severe symptoms caused by the bacteria. S. enteritidis and S. ...... middle of paper ...... industry can be prevented by providing education to food industry workers that includes preventive methods. Irradiation and other treatments can significantly reduce contamination of raw meat. Data Analysis: Salmonellosis is commonly reported in late summer and early fall and the graphs illustrate this data. In 2010 and 2011, significant peaks were observed between July and October. Over the years, salmonellosis has not decreased dramatically. There has been a consistent number of incidents, there is no major decrease or increase. Because many cases go unreported, most salmonellosis infections are believed to be transmitted through food. From 2007 there was a decrease, then in 2008 an increase, and the following years follow this pattern. As June moves to July, there is a significant increase in incidents, due to warmer weather and more frequent food spoilage...