The Half Decent Pharmaceutical Chemistry Blog

Last Thursday was Valentine’s day. On Carbon-based Curiosities, a rather grumpy Excimer wrote a particularly appropriate post to describe the spirit of the day: hated, if not ignored, by singles. Reserving my anger and hate for more important things (like junkies and something I will describe soon), I generally opt for the latter, but this doesn’t mean I cannot utilize it for a post.

Unlike Excimer and I, many people all over the world might have thought of something amazing to celebrate this special occasion, when love must be in the air with their partner. Some, that’s for sure, turned to Venice, well-known capital of Romance, for a romantic week-end.

Oh, the sunset on the lagoon, the gondolas, the Ponte dei Sospiri, Rialto bridge, San Marco square. And its famous pigeons. In fact, every so often, the issue of salmonella hit the headlines, ruing the atmosphere. Experts point their finger to the dirty pigeons, the rats of the sky. Last week, despite the approaching Valentine’s day, was no exception.

Still, many tourists didn’t bother and exposed themselves to the risk of salmonellosis. Pigeons are excellent carriers of Salmonella bacteria, the major cause of bacterial enterocolitis.
While romantically feeding pigeons in San Marco square (literally covered by the dirty birds), Salmonella invades ileum and colon, unless they immediately wash their hands after this idiotic operation. Salmonella bacteria are typical invading pathogens, affecting liver and Peyer patches, triggering inflammation and local ulceration in those sensitive areas of the intestine resulting from a swollen lymphoid tissue. Gallbladder is frequently selected as a site to create a bacterial reservoir which leads to a chronic carrier condition.

Most dangerous species might even cause typhoid fever with threatening bacteraemia and splenomegaly as early symptoms.
Otherwise the traditional features of salmonella-related infectious enterocolitis are fever, gastrointestinal pain, fatigue, diarrhea (up to dysentery), until, if not controlled, the infection can spread affecting joints, bones and even meninges.