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Salmonella Infections and Raw Milk Products

© Neal Rolfe Chamberlain

Pasteurization of milk does affect the flavor of various products. One example is a Mexican style soft cheese eaten very frequently by Hispanics that live in California (United States). The cheese is called queso fresco and if raw milk is used it has a more distinctive flavor.

Unfortunately, for that distinctive flavor you are taking a chance you will be infected with any number of disease causing bacteria. A recent article in the May 19, 1999 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reported the source of a particular Salmonella typhimurium DT104 infection of Hispanics in the Northern California and Yakima, Washington (United States) areas was due to this unpasteurized queso fresco. Not only do these bacteria give you a nasty case of diarrhea but it is also resistant to 5 antibiotics (ampicillin, chloramphenicol, streptomycin sulfate, sulfonamides and tetracycline) commonly used to treat severe cases of Salmonella typhimurium DT104 infection.

California allows producers to sell unpasteurized milk and milk products. There are inspections of these products to help ensure the safety of the products. Unfortunately, unpasteurized milk and milk products are more likely to be contaminated with disease causing microorganisms.

Sometimes distinctive flavors can be hazardous to our health. I suggest you only eat pasteurized milk and milk products. The heating of the milk will kill many of those nasty disease causing organisms. We take so many risks in our everyday lives. This is one risk not worth taking.

Knowledge is Power. For more Power go to the following web sites:
Food Ingredients Online article
A food safety article from Suite101: Microbiology (good links too)

Take Care and Think Microbiologically!

The copyright of the article Salmonella Infections and Raw Milk Products in Microbiology is owned by Neal Rolfe Chamberlain. Permission to republish Salmonella Infections and Raw Milk Products in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.